To Look Beyond the Mask
by tweetzone86
Summary: "Your people had their home stolen and their people killed. They were forced to wander starving in exile, reduced to blacksmiths. They were rejected by elves and scorned by men. Now your uncle tries to reclaim your homeland and seek justice for the wrongs committed against your people. I don't care if you are elves, hobbits, humans, or dwarves. I WILL not stand for injustice."
1. Prologue and chapter 1

_**I do not own any of the characters or the Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC) those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reull Tolkien, and without his genius, this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.**_

She fell to her knees, placing a shaking hand on the soft mound of earth. Tears fell down her face unheeded as her numb body shook with silent sobs.

The grave under her hand felt so cold. Rain began to pour from the skies above, pattering upon the earth beneath her hand. The pour became a deluge, and still she knelt, frozen in place by grief. Tiny rivulets of water began to flow off of the mound into the grass surrounding it. The muddy streams ran over her hand and threaded through her fingers, seemingly unaware of the torment within the young girl's heart.

For this grave held her husband and two baby girls. They had died in a tragic car accident five days ago. They had been traveling to her four year old's gymnastics class when they were struck by a drunk driver who crossed the median on the highway. And the worst part was that she was driving, and she had not seen him coming until it was too late. Somehow she had survived with not even a scratch, and had knelt on the asphalt road holding her two young daughters as they drew their last breath, covered in blood. Her husband had been killed immediately as he had tried to shield her daughters while she had unsuccessfully tried to swerve the car out of the way.

She had tried in vain to stop the flow of blood from her daughter's wounds, and her broken heart had turned into a high pitched keen as her four year olds chest stilled and her baby breathed its last, weak cry.

The emergency responders who had arrived on the scene had to pry the dead children out of her arms, for she fought like any mother would to keep her children with her. But they had succeeded, and the wail of anguish caused every responder and bystander in the vicinity's eyes to moisten as they beheld the young mother's raw grief. They gently wrapped the bodies and loaded them into the ambulance, and then picked up the wailing mother and took her to the hospital.

She spent the next five days numb. She would not speak to anyone, not even her extended family. Her in-laws were very much grieved as well, but they knew that goodbyes needed to be said, and bodies laid to rest. They took care of the arrangements, and chose to bury their son with his two daughters in his arms, for each of the girls had been very much daddy's girls, and though their souls were in heaven, they knew he would wish to rest with his daughters.

When they had brought her to the funeral to say her goodbyes, she had stared blankly in the casket. Thankfully the undertaker had done a very good job of making them look as if they were merely sleeping. Tears had streamed down from her eyes as she beheld her young husband of five years and her two daughters laying there as if peacefully sleeping, a position they had often been in when the girls had been too restless to sleep and sought out their daddy.

She kissed each of them goodnight, for she could not bear to think that this was goodbye. Then the casket was closed, the coffin brought to the cemetery, and the casket lowered into the ground.

All those who attended saw as they left was a lone figure, curled up in front of the mound, a dark navy old fashioned dress fluttering in the breeze as she had refused to be parted from her husband and children. No one had the heart to force her to leave.

So still she remained, oblivious to the wind and rain around her. Oblivious to the thunder and streaks of lightning that flashed across the sky. Her heart was drowning in grief, for she had loved her husband with all her heart and, despite them driving her nuts at times, had loved her daughters to the end of the earth and back.

She had paid no notice to the thunder getting steadily louder, when suddenly a flash of lightning struck the ground on the other side of the grave, shaking the earth with a deafening roar.

She felt a scream ripped from her throat as blackness descended upon her.

XXX

Kili had just finished getting dressed when he caught the scent of something very unpleasant. Leaning down, he sniffed his tunic and came away with a disgusted face.

_Why did those damn sacks have to smell so awful_? He thought to himself. Although it had been entertaining for a while watching Bilbo's expressions as he tried to sneak up on the three oblivious trolls, as soon as they had caught him Fili had run to get Thorin while he had drawn his sword.

_Don't even THINK about going after them until I get back with the company_! Fili had said. But as soon as the troll had threatened to burn Bilbo's toes in the fire to make him talk, Kili had enough. Company or no company, he would not let Bilbo get burnt for their foolish mistake of losing the ponies and then sending an apparently unarmed and inexperienced burglar after them.

He jumped out of the bushes with a loud cry and sliced the foot of the first troll he reached. He had then told them to drop Bilbo, not expecting Bilbo to actually be hurled at him. They had both gone down in a heap, with Kili losing the grip on his sword in his attempts to catch Bilbo.

Thankfully Fili was a quick runner, and just as soon as Kili had thought they would both get their toes burned off Thorin and the rest of the company burst through the bushes and began attacking the trolls.

Bilbo and Kili untangled themselves and Kili managed to get a hold of his sword. He and Fili paired up like they were used to and had fought together to try and inflict as much damage on the trolls as they could. He saw Bilbo using the troll's poor excuse for a knife to cut the ponies' ropes out of the corner of his eye, but the troll soon took his full attention.

He and Fili had gotten separated when a giant troll had stepped between them. Suddenly, Ori was flung at Kili's feet. He went to help him up, when the entire company stopped fighting. He looked up to see Bilbo's arms and legs held between two of the trolls. Seeing his friend in such a situation worried Kili and he had cried out, "Bilbo!" before attempting to go to his rescue.

Thorin had held him back, saying, "No, Kili!" and although Kili wanted to help his friend, he knew he had to listen to his uncle, who was far more experienced than he. He knew his uncle would find a way to free Bilbo and give those trolls some dwarven justice. So when his uncle had stabbed his sword into the ground, Kili looked to his uncle in disbelief. The rest of the company followed suit, and Kili angrily threw down his sword as well.

Next thing he knew, half the company was tied up to a spit, while the other half, himself and his kin included, had been tied up, stuffed in horrid smelling sacks, and heaped unceremoniously on the ground. At least for a bit he had it better than his brother. He kept getting kicked by Oin, who's moving was driving him crazy, but Fili's face was stuck in the dirt and he had to crane his neck to breathe, let alone see what was happening.

Then Bilbo got up and had suggested skinning them, and then Bombur got dropped on him ridding himself of what air he had left. Then Bilbo had the audacity to declare them infested with _parasites_ of all things! Kili had protested vehemently until a boot from his uncle in his back made him and the others see what Bilbo was cleverly trying to do and he, along with the others, began declaring quite loudly that not only did they have parasites, but described how huge they were and how riddled they were.

Then Gandalf had arrived, the trolls had turned to stone, and they had finally gotten free of those awful sacks. But unfortunately, the awful smell lingered. Adding to his discomfort was the fact that they had just endured a sleepless night, not knowing whether or not they were going to see morning, and lamenting that his tomb would read _Kili, son of Dis, of the line of Durin the Deathless, Younger brother of Fili, Nephew of Thorin Oakenshield, Prince in exile of Erebor, third in line to the throne, died valiantly by three stupid halfwit trolls, but very nicely roasted and seasoned with sage._

He gathered up his weapons, pleased that even with all that the trolls had done his bow and sword were undamaged. He had just finished dressing when he heard Thorin talk about trying to find the cave the trolls stayed in by day. Looking to Fili, their eyes locked, and eagerly they began the search.

"Perhaps Thorin won't be so angry when he finds out we lost the trolls if we find the cave first," he suggested to Fili.

"I would rather Thorin NOT find out we lost the ponies," Fili said.

"Do you think Bilbo will tell him?" Kili asked nervously. He was trying desperately to prove himself on this quest, and this matter with the ponies most certainly won't help. Especially not after he and Fili had nearly drowned trying to get a skittish pony out of the river it had so foolishly run into a week ago.

Fili contemplated for a minute, before shaking his head no.

"No, I don't think he will tell him, because then he will have to explain that he failed as a burglar, and since that's the only reason Thorin let him come on this quest I seriously doubt he will want to let it be known that he is a lousy pickpocket."

They continued searching the area, weapons at the ready more out of habit than anything else. Kili fingered the arrow lying loosely in his grip. He knew that the trolls had turned to stone, and he had heard someone saying how sunlight was the reason, but he tended to think that it was more Gandalf's doing. After all, they had only turned to stone when he had split the rock. At any rate, Kili was determined that he would not be ambushed by any more trolls. He had had enough of trolls for this adventure.

They heard Thorin let out a shout that they had found it, and hastened over to where Thorin, Nori, Dwalin, Gloin, Bofur, and Gandalf were already entering the cave. There was the same rank smell coming from the cave that had been on the bags, and flies buzzed about the entrance, feasting on what Kili believed was rotten meat. Of what kind of meat, he dared not venture to guess.

He heard some voices in the cave, and digging, then Thorin and the others emerged with some plunder. The others had some gold visible in their pockets, and Thorin held a long sword with a dragon tooth for a hilt. Gandalf emerged a few minutes later holding another sword. The others milled around, looking at various things from the cave. Bifur was looking at what appeared to be a golden cup and some kind of skull. Kili curiously leaned over him to take a look, only for Bifur to hand him the skull. Kili looked at it confused, before tossing it on the ground.

Suddenly, some birds rose up out of nowhere startled. Kili jumped and looked over his shoulder.

"Something's coming!" Thorin cried out.

"Arm yourselves!" Gandalf ordered as they drew their weapons and rushed as a group toward the disturbance. When whatever was disturbing the birds and causing the rustling finally emerged from the brush, Kili gaped and had to blink twice at what he saw.

It was a sleigh drawn by…rabbits?

A rather strange man with a long brown beard and what seemed like bird dropping on the side of his head began to talk to Gandalf, muttering something about thoughts and stick insects, when Gandalf pulled one out of his mouth.

Kili cast a glance at Fili, who looked very confused and unimpressed at the figure before them. Their eyes met, and it was all they could do not to burst out laughing at the strange man Gandalf had identified as Radagast the Brown.

The two wizards retreated to a secluded area near the river to talk. The company, unwilling to move ahead without the grey wizard, took the time to sit and rest for a few minutes and keep a lookout for any more strange wizards or uninviting creatures.

Kili glanced at Fili and motioned him over. When they were out of earshot of Balin, Kili whispered to Fili, "Let's go back to the cave and look inside while they are talking." Fili fixed his brother with a stern look.

"You know we shouldn't wander off without telling anyone," he said, looking around to see if anyone had heard.

"But we didn't get the chance to take a look inside," Kili argued, "All I got to see was what the others brought out and Bifur handing me a skull."

"I thought you didn't want to go inside because it smelled like the sacks," Fili pointed out, crossing his arms in front of him.

"Well, it's less boring than just sitting here doing nothing while Gandalf talks with the crazy wizard," Kili retorted.

He has a good point, Fili thought, and sighed. His brother was never that good at sitting still for long periods of time. And neither of them knew how long it was going to take for the wizards to finish their discussion.

"Fine, I will go with you, but only if we do not stay for long," he reluctantly agreed. They looked up, and seeing the wizards still in deep discussion, slipped off, claiming to have dropped one of Fili's knives near the caves. It wasn't a lie-one of Fili's knives had fallen. But he had so many that it wasn't crucial to find it. Nevertheless, they were not stopped, but they were cautioned to be careful and come back at the slightest hint of trouble.

They approached the cave, and while Fili hunted for his missing knife, Kili slipped inside. He almost regretted it, the nasty smell of the bags tenfold in the enclosed space, but kept going. He picked up some of the gold pieces that were still left on the ground, hoping that it would be enough to last him until they reached Erebor.

He was heading out of the cave when suddenly a small shuffling sounded from the very back of the cave. He immediately froze, listening hard even as his hand traveled toward the hilt of his sword. He wasn't certain that it hadn't been the wind, but as he heard it again, he was sure of it.

He began to slowly turn around, silently unsheathing his sword. He wanted to call for his brother, but he was concerned that it would startle whatever it was that was trying to hide. He saw a bit of white flash behind what looked to be the remains of old iron bars at the back of the cave. As silently as a dwarf could, he slowly made his way to the back of the cave, hoping to catch whatever it was by surprise.

As he got closer to the back, the shuffling stopped. Heart pounding in his throat, he swallowed the anxious feeling and kept going. He was at least comforted by the fact that the space in the back did not seem to be big enough for a troll, and if there had been one in the cave they would have surely found out about it much sooner than this. He held his sword at the ready as he stepped between the bars in the space that he assumed must have been the doorway at one point.

Suddenly he saw movement to his left and swung his sword instinctively. His sword made contact with a slight branch, and he twisted out of the block easily. His opponent fell on the ground and quickly shuffled backwards into the corner formed by the bars and the wall, curling into a small quivering ball and holding its arms up to shield it from further blows. He raised his sword up, only to have it drop to the side as sunlight filtered in the cave and he got a good look at his opponent. His eyes widened and his mouth gaped open when he realized what it was he had just tried to kill.

The young girl was shaking violently as she held her bare arms up to hide her face. Her clothing was white at one time, though now heavily stained with mud and leaves and some traces of blood, and the top of what he supposed was a dress was nothing more than two very narrow straps holding up what he assumed was an undershirt. Her white skirt fell to the ground, ending in torn and jagged edges and hiding her feet. He looked back up at her and noticed that one of her arms had a long cut on the forearm that had blood stained navy blue fabric tied around it. Her reddish brown long hair was wet and tangled with mud and twigs with a few stray curls here and there, and her knees were drawn up as close to her chest as they could be, with her left side facing toward him.

He saw a pair of frightened light blue eyes peer between her pale arms only to shut tightly and hide again. He slowly knelt to the ground, placing his sword gently on the floor of the cave next to him.

"It's alright," he said softly, "I'm not going to hurt you."

She glanced at him again, and curled up even tighter, flinching as he picked up his sword and slowly sheathed it behind his back. He brought his hands up and opened his palms outward, trying to alleviate her fears and show her he was no longer armed.

"I am unarmed, see?" he said. She slowly lifted her head up until he could see her face, though her hair still covered quite a bit of it and she kept her arms up protectively. She ducked her head down, but he could see her eyes watching his every movement. He noticed her eyes were slightly swollen and her eyelashes damp as though she had been crying, and he realized that he had likely frightened her very badly.

"Forgive me, I did not mean to frighten you," he said, still speaking gently. He gestured toward her arm.

"You're hurt." She moved to cover the wound, still trembling, and looked away.

Kili had no idea what he was supposed to do. He had expected to find a squirrel or maybe a fox at best, not an injured and clearly lost young girl. He wondered if the trolls had taken her prisoner too, but abandoned that thought when he realized that she could not have possibly escaped a sack while tied up in it, especially with an injured arm.

She must have been hiding in here while the trolls were busy with us, he thought. Given the strong smell and how loud the trolls were, he wouldn't be surprised if she had somehow managed to hide in here even with the trolls, but then dismissed the idea. She wouldn't have gotten so muddy or wet if she had been in here. How she had escaped the detection of Thorin or Dwalin or even Gandalf, he was not quite sure.

She gasped and jumped when Fili hollered into the cave and curled back into herself.

"I found my knife," he said, strolling into the cave, knife in hand. "What are you doing back there? I thought you were only going to take a quick—"

He stopped short when he noticed Kili kneeling before the trembling girl. His eyes went wide and he gaped like his brother had moments before. Kili saw the girl glance at the knife in Fili's hand before flinching and scooting even closer to the wall than she already was. He reached up and lowered Fili's hand as his brother turned toward him in confusion. His eyes silently demanded an explanation.

Kili sighed, and gestured toward the girl.

"I heard a noise and came back here. I had my sword drawn and saw something move, and when I turned around to defend myself I saw her. She dropped the branch she had swung at me and curled up into the wall like she is now," he explained. Fili glanced at the girl who regarded him with wary eyes, still keeping her arms up defensively. He sheathed his knife and knelt beside his brother.

"We are not going to hurt you," he said softly. Kili nodded.

"What is your name?" Fili asked. She looked between the both of them, seemingly confused. Fili repeated his question, only to again receive a confused look from the girl.

"Maybe she doesn't understand us," Kili said, looking at his brother. Fili looked at him and shrugged. They turned back toward the girl, and Kili offered his hand to her. She eyed the hand suspiciously and looked back at Kili.

"It's alright," he repeated, "we will not hurt you." He followed her gaze as she glanced at Fili, wariness clear in her eyes.

"He won't hurt you either, I swear. He is my brother," Kili said, extending the hand out a little more. She looked between the two of them, most of her face still hidden behind the hair that reached to just a few inches above her waist. Slowly she reached for the hand, and when she finally took it he slowly stood up, pulling her up with him. She wobbled on her feet a little and he reached his other hand to her elbow to steady her. Fili had stood up as well, ready to offer aid if needed. She put weight gingerly on her feet, and looked up at them, still eyeing them warily.

Suddenly the girl darted to the side as though she was going to try and run, and as Kili had reached out to try and stop her, she stumbled and hit the ground with a loud cry. She curled up and grabbed at her now visible feet, and Kili noticed that they had several cuts and bruises on them. Her face twisted in pain as she went to cover them back up with her skirt. But her feet weren't the only thing Kili had noticed

_When she had stood up, she looked me directly in the eye_, he thought, eyes widening. _Is she a dwarf?_

A quick glance toward his brother told him that Fili had come to the same conclusion. They both knelt in front of her again, making sure that they were slightly closer to being between her and the exit this time. Neither of them wished to think about what could happen to an injured girl in the middle of the lone lands, and they were determined that she would not be left to wander alone.

"Are you a dwarf, lass?" Fili asked. She glanced back and forth between them, her brain more than a little muddled. Fili repeated the question in Khuzdul, the language of the dwarves, in case she didn't understand Westron.

She continued to glance between them, confusion still on her face. Kili looked at Fili, beginning to get discouraged, and also realizing that they should be getting back to the company soon. Suddenly, the girl began to mutter, and two heads simultaneously turned toward her, surprise etching their features.

"_Khazd_?" she replied. She looked between the two of them, who still looked startled back at her. She repeated the word, question in her eyes, then spoke again.

"_Khazad_?" she asked, looking to them both as though searching for an answer. Fili was the first one to recover from his surprise at hearing her speak.

"Aye,_ Khazd_?" he said, looking at her carefully. Kili looked intently at her as she shook her head, closing eyes and ducking her head behind her arms once more. The brothers shared a confused look. How could she know what the term dwarf and dwarves were in Khuzdul, the language of the dwarves, and yet not be one herself? Or seem to not understand Westron? The dwarves were very secretive of their language, and few in the entire history of Middle-earth have succeeded in learning the ancient tongue. Kili looked at Fili who seemed just as puzzled as he was. They looked back at the girl, then at each other again. They knew they could not leave her behind, and it was clear that her feet were too injured to walk. Kili decided to try again.

"_We will not hurt you. We wish to help you. Please don't run_," he said in Khuzdul, extending his hands once more. Fili repeated it in Westron, hoping that she would at least understand one of the two languages. She glanced between the two, before seeming to make up her mind. She reached for his hands, and he helped her up. She winced again as she put weight on her injured feet, and he looked at her closely. He decided to try Westron again.

"You are hurt. May I carry you?" he asked gently, not wanting to frighten her any more but knowing that she wouldn't make it far with her injuries. He honestly was not sure if she would accept his offer, as skittish as she appeared to be. She looked at him and he could see some understanding in her eyes instead of confusion.

_So she does understand Westron_, he thought. She must have been too frightened or suspicious of us to answer before. He searched what little he could see of her face, hoping that she would consent to being carried, because even if his uncle were willing to take her with them to the next town, he would most definitely _not_ appreciate it if she were to walk too slowly and delay them further.

She searched both their faces once more before nodding slightly. Kili let out the breath he didn't know he was holding, and reached behind her shoulders and knees and hoisted her up into his arms. Suddenly, his uncle's voice boomed through the cave, causing the two dwarves to jump and the startled girl to hide her face in Kili's shoulder.

"Fili! Kili! What in Durin's name are you doing?" Thorin growled as he stood in the cave entrance.

"You know better than to wander off away from the company, especially out here in the wilds!"

Fili glanced at Kili, who in turn looked at the girl in his arms. They took a deep breath, and made their way out of the cave, the trembling girl attempting to curl herself in as much as possible.

Their uncle was most certainly _not_ going to be happy about th_is._


	2. Chapter 2

_**I do not own any of the characters or the Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC) those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reull Tolkien, and without his genius, this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.**_

_**Quick note- The last chapter, while told in third person, is mainly from Kili's point of view. Here we have the lost girl's POV, still told from third person, as it will be easier to follow that way as the story goes on. Please read and review-I love getting them! J Enjoy!**_

Fili came out of the cave first, followed by Kili. The entire company was outside the cave, making the two young dwarves nervous. But not half as nervous as the young girl.

Cirashala, for that is what she will call herself now, was in truth extremely confused. She was not sure if she was dreaming or if she had somehow been knocked into a coma after the lightning struck. She couldn't bear to continue on with her real name, for thinking of it brought tears to her eyes as she remembers her husband saying it with love in his voice.

She had understood Fili and Kili's Westron quite well, although there was still a little bit of rushing in her ears from the lightning. She still was not sure what possessed her to use two of the few Khuzdul words she knew from Tolkien's works. All she remembered was waking up in the middle of what she now knew to be Trollshaw forest in Middle-earth, with the rainstorm pouring on her. Half blinded by the rain and the tears of grief and confusion that streamed down her cheeks, she had managed to trip on her long dress and went careening down the hill before landing in the river, tearing the waistline of her dress as she did so.

In trying to get out of the river, which was somewhat swollen by the rain, she had snagged the collar of her dress on a low hanging branch, ripping it further to the point where it wouldn't stay up. She gave up on it, for now she was holding it up on her shoulder and tripping on the now much too long hem, tearing the waist even further. In angry cries of frustration, she just finished ripping the bodice and skirt apart, leaving her in her camisole, her petticoat, and her bloomers. Not very modern clothing, however she preferred to dress more simply, and since her skin had always been very fair, the long dresses had aided greatly in keeping the sun off her skin while helping her to not get too hot. But at the moment, she could care less about the dress.

Her heart was still very heavy with grief, and now she did not know where she was or how she got here. Plus she had barely eaten in the last five days, and her stomach was trying to seemingly eat its way through her abdomen. And now her feet were cut up and bleeding from her attempts to stop her fall down the steep slope, along with her arm that had caught the sharp end of a broken branch.

She managed to tear a small piece of cloth from the remains of what used to be her dress and tie it around the long gash on her arm, crying and fighting with tying it with one hand in frustration. She ended up using her teeth to pull the other end taut, and then looked around her.

She gave in to the tears she had bottled up for five days and cried until her eyes were nearly swollen shut and her tears were spent. Seeing the sun begin to go down, she lifted her exhausted head up and for the first time since she had awakened in this forest, she lifted her heavy head up and looked at her surroundings. The rain had stopped, and now she could actually see some, despite the swollen eyes.

She was surrounded by trees and many bushes, and in the distance she could see what seemed to be the remains of a broken two wheeled cart. Beyond that, she could see what appeared to be the very familiar ruins of a very old farmhouse.

_Ruins of an old farmhouse?_ Her eyes widened as she recognized the very same farmhouse that Thorin Oakenshield and company stopped for the night in…._Trollshaw forest._ How in the heck did she end up in New Zealand? Her eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets and she hadn't even been aware that she wasn't breathing in shock until black began to show around the edges of her vision and she hit the ground with a loud thud.

XXX

When she had awakened from her faint, she realized that it was very nearly dark. She sat up, feeling more than a little dizzy. She was also feeling faint from lack of food. She stood up, and realized that she had better find the owner of this farm and see about getting to the US Embassy, if she was indeed in New Zealand and not hallucinating. Somehow, despite her grief she was managing to think at least a little bit rationally in her haze.

She turned around to look out at the landscape and see if she could see any lights. Seeing none in the late dusk, she turned and looked at the trees again. A cool wind blew up, and she wrapped her arms around her middle and shivered. She had never really liked the dark, though she had kept her room pitch black. She could not sleep unless every single light was off, no matter how tiny. A sob caught in her throat as she recalled how her husband, though it annoyed him, would meticulously go around and cover every light up, including turning over the computer keyboard, because somehow ever with a sleep mask on she could see it enough to not be able to fall asleep.

Grief weighing her down more as memories flooded back, she wandered into the edge of the forest and sat up against a tree. She drew her knees up to her chest and cried again, until she had cried herself to sleep.

XXX

A loud thud woke her up. She opened her eyes, rubbing them and looking around. She saw movement to her left, and quickly hid behind the tree she had slept against before slowly looking around it, and nearly fainted dead away again at the sight of the three huge trolls exiting the cave.

_No way! I-I mean. This is. Th-they are- How in the hell am I in Middle-earth?! This HAS to be a dream! _

Her eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets. Seeing the third troll lumber off into the night, she did the only thing she could think of- she ran into the troll's cave. She had a feeling they would probably spend the night out in the forest, and with her wearing all white and with fair skin she would be easily seen in the darkness. She crept back toward the back of the cave, and pulled her knees up, rocking back and forth slightly, making sure to stay out of view of the front of the cave.

_This cannot be happening! _

XXX

She had spent the next two days hiding from the trolls in the same manner. She would stay in the woods during the day, trying to find berries or nuts or something to eat, and stopping to cry whenever something reminded her of her family's death and her grief became too much. She would hide by the troll cave out of sight at dusk, waiting until the trolls left then creep back inside the cave for uneasy slumber, then leaving again at dawn before they could come back. Since she was barely and uneasily sleeping as is, while she used to have a very difficult time getting up in the mornings she now found it very easy. Especially since at the first rays of dawn the smell in the cave would be at its worst.

So on the third day, when the trolls hadn't come back at dawn, she had been very confused and after a bit had crawled back into the cave. In her foggy and now very hungry and exhausted mind, she had completely forgotten about the dwarves. She had finally managed to fall into a deep and dreamless sleep. Whether she was more at ease knowing the trolls hadn't come back or whether her body had finally succumbed to sheer exhaustion, she did not know. But when she had heard footsteps and someone rattling through things, she had snapped awake and reached for the branch she had been carrying for defense the past few days, propping herself up just out of sight on the cave wall.

After she realized that she had swung her makeshift club at _Kili_ of all people, she had immediately dropped into a ball, believing him to attack her out of sheer instinct. After all, she had attacked him first. She hadn't expected him to come into the cave, considering it hadn't been mentioned in Tolkien's book nor had she seen it in the movie. But, from what little she knew about his character, in hindsight it seemed like something he would do.

But the second she really got a good look at his face, she shrunk away. She had always been amused that the Kili from the movie had looked similar to her husband, though not quite the same, and certainly not the same height. Plus her husband had kept his hair extremely short. But still, she had joked that her husband could easily get in a Kili costume complete with wig and actually be pretty passable at it.

So when she saw the real Kili in person, white hot pain had seared through her with her grief, leaving her unable to speak. Plus, actually seeing a sword drawn on her with the intent to harm her was much, much different from the limited training sword sparring she had done with her husband, and it had absolutely terrified her.

She could see that Kili was very startled by her as well, and an obscure quote she had heard one time came back into her head, although she wasn't sure she remembered the exact words.

_It is not wise to know too much about the future, for in seeking to change your fate, you may end up creating a worse one in its stead. _

She realized that, by his mere presence in the cave, she was already starting to change the course of the story, and resolved that she must not let ANYONE of the company know that she knew the story of their quest lest it lead to more unpleasant consequences. If she was in Middle-earth, then Middle-earthen she would be.

Which is why, in her foggy state, she must have answered Fili in Khuzdul, for she clearly wasn't thinking straight by that point. Seeing Kili with his sword wasn't quite as terrifying as seeing Fili with his knife, because while she could dodge a sword, at least for a bit, she couldn't very well dodge a thrown knife. At this point, she was exhausted, hungry, and not thinking very clearly. Plus the smell of the cave was beginning to be overpowering and making her nauseous.

She had no idea why she had tried to run, but she highly suspected the smell had more to do with it than anything else. She had not counted on her stupid feet to hurt too much to put weight on them. She hoped they weren't infected, because she knew well enough that Middle-earth didn't have antibiotics and wasn't keen on finding out how they handled infection.

Her brain had masses of jumbled, confusing thoughts running through it, so when Kili had offered to carry her, she could only nod numbly. Her head had begun to swim, and she wasn't sure she could remain upright much longer. But when she heard Thorin's voice, she snapped out of her haze and shrunk into Kili, knowing full well that Thorin would most certainly be quite angry with her presence, especially after their sleepless night. And she did not have the energy to fight with the dwarf king.


	3. Chapter 3

_**I do not own any of the characters or the Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC) those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reull Tolkien, and without his genius, this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.**_

_**Please review! I love getting them-they keep me encouraged! J**_

Thorin could hardly believe his eyes when his nephews emerged from the cave with the young girl. He was already very irritated that they had to retrieve the young heirs as is, and now they seemed to have found a reason to be delayed even further. He sighed heavily, glancing at Dwalin who just shook his head before returning his gaze to the girl in Kili's arms.

Cirashala had hidden her face in Kili's shoulder, fearing the company's reaction as they first saw her. She was still in disbelief that she was in Middle-earth, she was in pain from her wounds, and to top it off her stomach was still nauseated and she most certainly did not want to introduce herself by throwing up all over everyone. Plus, she was still very shaky from having not eaten much, especially in the past three days.

"Who is this girl? What happened?" Thorin asked his nephews sternly, his patience wearing thin after the events of the past two days. They looked back and forth at each other, not exactly sure where to start the conversation. Suddenly the girl in Kili's arms moved to get put down, and for fear of unintentionally dropping her he relented and set her down. She stood up, very shaky and pale, but to her full height. The dwarves looked at each other then back at her, more than a little bewildered.

She looked directly at the dwarf king, face still partially hidden by her matted hair, then, to the astonishment of the company, bent forward at the waist and bowed deeply in front of him in the fashion of dwarves. The dwarves gasped and looked back and forth between her and Thorin, wondering how she had known that he was the leader of their group. Thorin himself was a little surprised, eyes widening at the unexpected gesture, but recovered quickly, and nodded to her.

She stood back up, no longer standing at her full height but hunched a bit, and shaking from the dizziness that threatened to make her fall over. Feeling very self conscious and nervous, she wrapped her arms around herself and shut her eyes, trying to remain upright. But she was unsuccessful as the days of eating very little caught up with her, and before she knew it her knees buckled beneath her and she once again hit the ground with a thud, blackness entering her vision.

XXX

She woke up almost immediately, eyes fluttering open to see Bilbo and Gandalf hovering over her. A flood of nausea swept her, and turning over quickly she crawled to a bush and began to be sick. But since she had barely eaten, all she really was able to get up was stomach bile. Tears streamed down her red face, both in mortification and exhaustion. When she was done she leaned back and reached with her hand to wipe her face, when a ripped piece of green cloth entered her line of sight.

Bilbo knew that the "hankie" he had acquired from Bofur wasn't much, but at least it might help the poor girl clean up a bit. He even contemplated offering her his jacket, for she clearly was missing her dress, but had decided against it given that he was still painfully aware of the troll mucus still coating it. He wondered about the poor girl and what had led to her being so lost in the wilds, many leagues away from the nearest village. She had clearly had a rough time of it, whatever it was.

Gandalf was also a little confused about the girl. Once Fili and Kili had quickly explained to Thorin and the company what had happened, he looked further at the girl. He could see the cuts on her feet, but he did not see any calluses that pointed to her having walked very far. She must have had boots at one point, but had lost them. He also saw her cut and scratches, but he did not see any rope marks or signs that she had been held prisoner. And since he had known the farmer and his family that had used to live in the abandoned farmhouse, he knew she had not been a part of their family. The girl was a puzzling riddle to him. Adding to it was that she was very small and looked young, but he could tell that she was nearing if not already of age for a human, and it was pretty rare for fully grown human girls to be so short in stature.

He looked at her again, giving Bilbo a nod of thanks after returning his handkerchief to him. Bilbo held up his hands, not accepting it back.

"No, you keep it. You have more need of it than I do, miss," he said. She looked at him, uncertainty clouding her features as she looked back down at the handkerchief.

"It's alright miss. I won't be needing it," he reassured her. She still looked doubtful, and Thorin rolled his eyes. _Now the burglar doesn't need a handkerchief,_ he thought to himself. _If only he had remembered this little detail BEFORE he stopped us needlessly the other day._ He shared a look with Dwalin, who also rolled his eyes, apparently thinking the same thing.

Suddenly, a howl rang out through the trees. The entire company jumped, startled, and reached for their weapons.

"Wolves? Are there wolves out there?" Bilbo asked Bofur, who shook his head, fearful eyes scanning the trees.

"No, that is not a wolf," he replied, voice wavering in fear. A growl sounded from the rocks above him, and several members of the company cried out as the warg scout sprang down and jumped on Dori. Dwalin immediately finished off the warg with his two axes, Grasper and Keeper, as another warg sprang toward Thorin. Kili fired off an arrow that hit the warg in the chest, and Thorin and Dwalin finished him off as well.

"Warg scouts! Which means an orc pack is not far behind!" Thorin shouted, wrenching his new sword out of the now dead warg.

"Orc pack?" Bilbo questioned, not liking this new turn of events at _all._

"Who did you tell about your quest, beyond your kin?" Gandalf asked Thorin sternly.

"No one," he replied.

"Who did you tell?!" Gandalf repeated, growing angry and tense.

"No one, I swear!" Thorin answered, his voice becoming defensive, "What is going on here?"

"You are being hunted!" Gandalf replied, looking around for any more threats.

"We have to get out of here," Dwalin growled.

"We can't! We have no ponies! They bolted," Ori cried as he and Bifur ran back up to the company. Bilbo rolled his eyes.

"After all that trouble with the trolls and those damned ponies ran off anyway?" he muttered to himself under his breath.

"I'll draw them off," Radagast piped up. Gandalf looked at him as if he was crazier than he had already come across.

"These are Gundabad wargs. They will outrun you," he replied, clearly annoyed by this point.

"These are Rhosgobel Rabbits!" Radagast's face broke out in a conniving smirk.

"I'd like to see them try." Gandalf shook his head, but what other choice did they have? As Radagast prepared his sleigh to leave, Cirashala looked around at the dwarves throwing their packs and supplies on their shoulders as silently and quickly as they could, taking turns so others could be watching out for more scouts.

It had not escaped her notice that when the first warg howl had sounded, Kili had pushed her in front of a tree and both brothers stood in front of her, weapons drawn. She knew she must appear quite weak and helpless to the dwarves, which she was, but she also knew that if any of them were to die trying to protect her that she would never be able to live with the knowledge that others families would see their loved ones die. She would not allow herself to be responsible for inflicting the same grief she bore on another.

Her eyes welled with tears again as she remembered all the things she could have done differently to save her family, but she quickly blinked them aside. She didn't really care if she died at this point (at least she would be with her husband and children again), but she must focus as best she could so others didn't get killed on account of her. Like it or not, she knew she was now under the protection of at least some of the company, if only because their chivalrous honor would not allow a woman within their midst to get hurt if they could prevent it.

Radagast clucked at his rabbits, and they flew off toward the edge of the forest at a very impressive speed. What impressed her more was not how fast the rabbits were going (she had lived where there were jackrabbits in her world and they are very fast animals indeed), but rather how Radagast kept them all going in the same direction, as normal rabbits are wont to run in zig zags and any other direction they had a mind to if they felt threatened. They waited a bit, peering through the cover of the trees until they saw that Radagast's plan was working and the wargs were distracted by him, before setting out.

The dwarves followed Gandalf to the first large rock on the plain, taking cover until they could see what path the wargs were following. Thorin gestured to Fili and Kili to come to him, and bent his head toward them.

"You two found the girl. You are responsible for her. If she lags behind and endangers the company, it will be on your hands," he whispered sternly. Fili and Kili looked at their uncle and nodded. Kili swallowed nervously. The thought of the company being endangered because of something he did would not sit well with him. He was trying to prove his worth to his uncle, not show himself to be careless. Fili grasped his shoulder, sensing that his brother was worried, and Kili gave him a small grateful smile. He was worried as well, but he tried to hide it for Kili's sake. They made their way back to the girl, taking positions on either side of her but just behind her. Fili glanced at Kili, and signed to him in igleshmek.

_If she starts to slow us down, you carry her. I may be stronger than you, but you are the faster runner. I will defend you both if necessary. _

Kili nodded. He had always been one of the fastest runners in the Blue Mountains. His longer legs had aided him in that, as did his leaner frame. His dwarf endurance had even made him outlast some humans in a race. And he did not doubt that his brother would keep his word and defend them if it came down to it. Fili had always been very protective of him from the moment he had been born.

Growing up, once Kili had been old enough to leave his mother's arms and start waddling after his slightly older brother, Fili had never left his side. They went everywhere together, trained together (and even if they used different weapons, one would always accompany the other to the various training grounds and encourage the other), ate together, camped together, pulled pranks together, and even slept in the same bed at home and next to each other on the quest, both for warmth and to ensure that the other was near. People who didn't know them well thought they were twins, for in dwarf years five years is barely anything. Everyone knew where one brother was, the other was not far behind. They were inseparable. Kili had always had Fili, and Fili barely remembered not having a younger brother by his side. Kili had absolutely no doubts that his brother would defend him to the death, and he would do likewise.

Gandalf bade them come, and the dwarves began to run out from behind the rock, following the gray wizard and being very careful to stay out of sight of the wargs. More than once Radagast in his circles led the wargs nearly to them, but they managed to evade them. Thorin even pulled Ori back by the scruff of his collar at one point to avoid detection when the scribe nearly ran out in full view of them by accident.

It wasn't really his fault- he was a scribe and thirsted for knowledge, not a warrior taught to fight. He had never really been trained in weapons, just a slingshot because his elder brother had insisted he learn to wield _something_ to defend himself. When Dori had seen his weapon of choice, he had merely sighed and rolled his eyes. Ori had defended himself, saying that Dori hadn't specified _which _weapon to learn, merely that he had to learn one. His elder brother had finally given up, for let it not be said that dwarves, whether warriors or scribes, were not as stubborn as the very rock they came from. And once Ori made up his mind, no one could change it, which is how he managed to end up on this quest though both his brothers had tried to talk him out of it on more than one occasion.

He insisted that, should the quest be successful, it should be recorded in the annals of Durin's folk so all will know how the exiled King Thorin II Oakenshield and company had reclaimed their lost homeland of Erebor and slew the great dragon Smaug. And since he was a scribe, and both his brothers were going as well, he should be allowed to join them. Thorin had his misgivings about it, but saw the foresight in recording their journey for others, and knew that after so many had been lost to the dragon that day that they would be hard pressed to find those who were willing to face the dragon again. All he had asked for, all he _could _ask for, was loyalty, honor, and a willing heart, and Ori had given him all three. He could not find it in his heart to turn him down, but he had insisted that Ori receive instruction in at least some of the other weapons the company wielded when they set up camp for the night so should it become necessary he could still hold his own in a fight. But clearly he still had more to learn about being a warrior. Despite having over 50 years on Kili and Fili, they were far better trained than he, it being expected of Princes, and knew how to keep out of sight of an enemy.

The dwarves kept running from cover to cover, trying to avoid the wargs. Kili and Fili ran on either side of Cirashala, who, despite her feet killing her and her fatigue slowing her, was honestly more afraid of the wargs than injuring herself further. Even if she seemed to not care if she died, deep down some part of her really did not want to die, especially by being mauled, or worse-becoming a prisoner of the orcs. But, her body was winning, and she was hard pressed to keep up. Plus, she had always been more of a sprinter instead of a long distance runner, and her lungs were aching from the lack of air and her side was beginning to really hurt. After the second rock, she stumbled and hit the ground, only to have two sets of hands pull her back up.

Fili and Kili grabbed her hands and kept going, forgetting temporarily that she did not have boots on. She stumbled again with a stifled cry, having stepped right into a thorn bush and shoving the thorns up into her feet. The two brothers looked down, seeing her foot stuck and her frantically trying to get up. Fili shared a look with his brother before whipping his head around at the rest of the dwarves as they began to draw away from the three.

_Pick her up, now!_

Kili got the message loud and clear, and scooped her up into his arms, both brothers running once more. Biting her lip to keep from crying out at the thorns that protruded from her feet and calves, she held on tightly to Kili's neck. She knew that he would have an easier time running if she wasn't bouncing all over the place in his arms. Her chest heaved as she gasped in air and she shut her eyes tightly at the world spinning around her. Suddenly she felt the dwarves stop and back up to a rock wall.

_Oh, no! _She thought. _Kili has to shoot the warg and orc that is going to be above us in a second and he cannot do that with me in his arms!_

She again clamored down, fighting his grip as he was unwilling to place her back on the thorny ground. She pushed away from him and even punched him in the chest until he put her down, confusion crossing his features, not to mention annoyance at her stubbornness. She backed up to the rock next to Fili, who was next to Kili, not wanting to risk being in the way of his shot. Suddenly the paws of the warg sounded above them, and they heard a soft growling and the sound of a sword being unsheathed. Kili and Fili both glanced at her, confused. Then Thorin nudged Kili's shoulder, and he looked at him. Thorin glanced at his bow, then up where the warg was, and then locked eyes with Kili. He understood what Thorin was asking immediately, and put an arrow to the string. He took a deep breath, before rushing out and shooting the warg. It let out a loud yelp, and Kili quickly shot the orc atop it, before both plunged down in front of the group. Dwalin, Thorin, and Bifur acted immediately, spearing, hacking, and slicing the warg and orc, hoping to silence them before it alerted its pack to their location. Kili drew his bow again, but there was no need. The orc and warg finally died, their loud cries echoing off the neighboring rocks.

He glanced at Fili, then both brothers looked at the girl, who looked at the orc and warg with wide eyes. They could see that she was not used to killing, by the way she swallowed hard repeatedly as though to not vomit, but that wasn't the confusing part. She didn't seem that surprised that the warg and orc was there. The brothers shared a bewildered look, which turned to a terrified look as howls rang up all around them. The dwarves looked at each other, then Thorin shouted, "Move!"

The dwarves took off running again. Kili shouldered his bow and went to pick her up. Much to his surprise, she did not protest, but wrapped her arms around his neck again. As they ran from the howls that started to come from all around them, his mind whirled in confusion.

_How did she know the orc and warg were going to be there? She must have-she did not seem surprised, and she fought me vehemently until I put her down. It was as though she knew I would have to shoot it._

He glanced down at her as they ran, but could not see her face, hidden in his neck. He could feel her breathing hard against it, and felt her trembling. He was not surprised she was frightened. If he were to admit it, and there was no absolutely no way that he would, but he was frightened too. Yes, the trolls had almost eaten them, but this was by far the most terrifying situation he had been in. He had trained for such a situation for years, and knew that he could fight them. But, while he had not been sure what would happen on this adventure, being chased by an orc pack on wargs was definitely not what he had expected.

Fili had kept warning him before they left that this adventure would not be easy, being far more practical than he was. But he had been so excited at the prospect of actually being allowed to come with his uncle and reclaim Erebor that his enthusiasm for the journey had not led him to think of the potential dangers involved. Sure, he had known that at the end was a dragon that they must somehow kill, but all of that had seemed far off. Like the stories he had heard growing up about battles and great heroic deeds, he had underestimated how much danger there actually _was_ in adventures such as this. And now, being confronted with their first major obstacle (he would prefer to not think of the trolls as having been one, because honestly it was far more embarrassing than heroic and he sincerely hoped that Ori would have enough sense to leave that particular part of the journey OUT of his journal), he had begun to realize that this quest was not going to be a simple walk through Middle-earth until they reached the mountain. He began to regret the teasing he had done to Bilbo that night on the cliff when he and Fili had jested about orcs and night raids. Finally, he understood why his uncle had been so angry with them for even _suggesting_ it could be funny. He had been right- they really didn't know anything about the world.

The thought humbled him, and as howls rang out and the dwarves frantically raced toward wherever Gandalf was leading them, he began to run faster. The girl in his arms tightened her grip, not enough to cut off his breathing, but he could tell she was getting very nervous. He looked up and saw that Thorin had stopped. He looked beyond him, and saw wargs now in front of them. Once again, the girl fought to get down, and this time, he trusted her instincts, or whatever it was that had made her get down before. She immediately ran behind the outer ring of dwarves, and he saw her pick up a rock in each hand. He looked behind him and saw wargs still closing in behind them.

"There's more coming!" he shouted, turning around to face the oncoming wargs.

"We're surrounded!" Fili yelled, drawing his twin falchions and turning to face the wargs, standing near his brother prepared to defend him as he always did.

"Kili! Shoot them!" Thorin yelled, drawing his new sword, which glowed a light blue and seemed to sing as it was drawn from its sheath. Kili drew his bow and began to let arrows fly, keeping the wargs at bay. The others readied their weapons, and they drew themselves in a circle with Bilbo and Cirashala in the middle, the first with his sword drawn and arm shaking, the other with two rocks in her hands.

She was prepared to throw the rocks at anything that came near. Given that Ori had just shot a rock to a warg with his slingshot and it served to only make it smirk (she had no idea that wargs could smirk…until now) she doubted she would be much use against them. But perhaps throwing the stones at an orc's head could at least disorient it enough that one of the others could kill it more easily. She had played outfield in softball and as long as the stones weren't too heavy, she knew she could throw fairly accurately. She only hoped that she would be able to do so without having the benefit of warming up.

She desperately wished she had a bow or a sword right now, since she at least had _some_ training with them, even if it was likely less than Ori had. She barely knew more than the main 9 positions with a sword, and had only hit the bull's eye on her target from about twenty feet or less 8 times, but still it would likely be more effective against the wargs than little rocks. But she was determined to go out swinging in defense of the company. She didn't know how her presence was going to change things, but she most certainly did not want anyone dying before they were supposed to.

Come to think of it, she had always hated the fact that Fili, Kili and Thorin had died in the books. Thorin maybe, because at least he had lived his life already, but Fili and Kili had been far too young to die. And it wasn't really fair that the three had worked so hard to reclaim Erebor only to fall at its gates after mere days of the dragon's death. And have the throne go to someone who had been unwilling to help in the quest in the first place, even if he had been a legendary warrior. Plus, though Tolkien had never wrote about it, she now knew the kind of pain Dis must have experienced at the loss of what little remained of her family, especially having to live knowing she had outlived her children.

She decided that there was no way she wanted Dis to experience the kind of pain she had. She knew full well that it would likely be Fili as King Under the Mountain during the War of the Ring in eighty years if they lived, but she hoped that if she just tweaked the timeline that little bit that he would have the strength of heart to be able to withstand the Shadow. She already knew that he and his brother had the strength of heart to withstand the Gold Sickness that had taken their uncle, so perhaps they would succeed then as well.

One thing was for certain- she had now seen firsthand that the brothers had good hearts, and the conversation Gandalf had with Frodo in Moria came back to mind.

_Some that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them Frodo? Do not be eager to deal out death and judgment. Even the very wise cannot see all ends._

She wondered if it was Fili and Kili's death that Gandalf had meant, and thought it likely. She now resolved that, even if she couldn't grant life, she could very well do whatever she could to aid in preserving it, even if it meant giving her own life in return. Three innocent people had already died because of her actions. She was not going to let that happen again as long as she drew breath.

She gripped the rocks in her hands as the wargs approached, a fiery determination in her eyes as she prepared to fight for those who deserve life.


	4. Chapter 4

_**I do not own any of the characters or the Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC) those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reull Tolkien, and without his genius, this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.**_

_**Please review! I love getting them-they keep me encouraged! J**_

The wargs approached the dwarves, and they readied themselves. Kili kept shooting, resolving to shoot until either Thorin tells him to stop or he runs out of arrows. Wargs and orcs alike fall with his yellow fletched arrows imbedded in their bodies.

"Where's Gandalf?" Dori cried. Kili glanced quickly around as he reached for another arrow before sending it into the chest of an approaching orc. He did not see Gandalf, and apparently no one else did either.  
"He's abandoned us!" Dwalin said angrily, gripping his two axes. The dwarves, though discouraged, were determined to fight until the last one alive drew their last breath.

"Hold your ground!" Thorin ordered, raising his new sword high.

Fili looked at the girl, who seemed, again, to be unsurprised, much to his bewilderment. She held her jaw with a set determination, clear focus in her narrowed eyes as she watched the orc pack approach, gripping the two rocks in her hand tightly. She reminded him of a cat, silently watching its prey with its body coiled and ready to spring, hair fluttering slightly in the breeze behind her. He also noticed that, while she was still wavering and favoring her feet, she still kept them firmly planted and had her right foot slightly behind the left one with her left side turned slightly toward the approaching pack. She curled her wrist a little as she fingered the rock, and he recognized the stance of someone about to throw. Since he threw knives and small axes, he was indeed very familiar with that stance.

Glancing at his brother, who was still keeping the pack at bay with his arrows, he backed up slightly until he was next to her, and sheathed one of his falchions. He reached into his bracer and pulled out one of his knives, before reaching the hilt out to her, still keeping one eye on the approaching pack. She looked at him in surprise before glancing down at the knife.

"Take it," he said, eyes still trained on their enemy. She looked down at the rocks in her hand before glancing up at him and shaking her head. Confused, he looked at her.

"Take it," he repeated, "you will be able to protect yourself better and do more damage with a knife than you would throwing rocks at them." She looked at him again, before dropping one of the rocks and taking the knife in her left hand. He noticed she still kept the rock in her right, and that confused him a bit, considering her stance showed a right handed thrower.

_If she is right handed, why is she holding the knife in her left? _He wondered. He shrugged, knowing there were more important matters at hand than contemplating the dominant hand of another, and moved back up next to his brother.

A warg off to the side suddenly became bold and ran itself straight into Thorin's sword, who saw it coming. The commotion had Kili look behind him for a moment, and a warg noticing the archer's distraction began to move in unknown to said archer.

"Kili!" Fili hollered, and Kili whipped his head around and reached for an arrow. But the arrow didn't stop the warg and orc pair first, for out of nowhere a rock came sailing between both their heads at a rather impressive speed and hit the orc atop the warg dead in the face, knocking him off his steed. The warg received an arrow in its eye, and the orc stumbled up, clearly a little disoriented, only for Kili's arrow to imbed in its skull at the same time as a second rock hit the orc, this time in the chest.

Both brothers turned in surprise, though Fili hissed at Kili to pay attention and the younger immediately turned his head back around and continued shooting. Fili looked at the girl, who now held the dagger in her right hand, the two rocks nowhere to be seen. He raised his eyebrows in surprise, realizing that his question about why she had kept the rocks had now been answered.

_She has a really strong arm, and very good aim,_ he thought, surprised. _No wonder she had insisted on keeping the rocks- she at least can throw them well and far, where she may not know how to throw a knife at all._

Fili was not the only one who had seen her throws. Bilbo, being a hobbit and generally very good at throwing stones himself (hence his pride at being skilled with conkers), had his mouth gaping open slightly. Hobbits are known to be very good with throwing stones, and, though their small stature is a disadvantage, some can also wield bows with deadly accuracy. 

_If she was a bit shorter and had hairy feet, one would think she was a hobbit, _he thought. _That was an impressive throw. _

But neither of the two observers could ponder it for long. The pack was closing in, and the dwarves were backing closer and closer to each other, with Kili the furthest out, still shooting.

Suddenly, Gandalf appeared seemingly out of a rock, startling the company a bit.

"This way, you fools!" he cried, as he began to duck back into the safety of the now visible passage.

"Go! All of you!" Thorin ordered, standing next to the tunnel as Bilbo and the dwarves began one by one to slide down the rock into the passage. Cirashala backed up to the tunnel, but did not get in just yet. She remembered the first time her presence threatened the timeline, so to speak, when she had to fight Kili to put her down so he could shoot that first warg and orc that had alerted the others to their presence like he was supposed to. And, unless the moviemakers were wrong, she did not recall him getting distracted while shooting the orcs just now either.

She got nervous realizing that, if she was changing the outcome of events on the quest already, she now did not know what the consequences of their actions would be. That was both a blessing and a curse, because now she did not know if things would go ill or not because of her. But it was also a blessing, because she could honestly say that she did not know what would happen in the future now, if the dwarves ever catch on that she had known their entire story from the beginning.

She kept her knife raised as the dwarves passed her, getting in the passage. A few glanced at her, questions in their eyes, wondering why she was not going in. Bofur tried to haul her in, but she wrenched her arm from him and gave him her "mom" glare, and he immediately released her, giving her a strange look before jumping in. Thorin glared at her.

"Jump in girl," he growled, moving to push her in himself, before hearing a growling on his other side. He turned and swung his sword, slicing the neck of the warg. Turning back around, he cursed under his breath as Cirashala had moved even further away from the hole toward the two remaining out of the passage.

"Kili!" Thorin shouted, realizing his nephew was still at his original spot, continuing to shoot the orcs and wargs. He had just shot an orc through the forehead before he looked over his shoulder.

"Run!" Thorin shouted. Kili turned and began to run toward the passage, bow and arrow still in hand. Fili ran as well, reaching the passage opening before Kili, who was being closely chased by a warg with a rider. And then things began to happen really fast and really slowly at the same time.

Kili tripped on what appeared to be a rabbit hole and hit the ground with a loud thud, his bow and the arrow flying out before him just out of reach. Fili and Thorin simultaneously shouted, "Kili!" as the warg saw its opportunity and sprinted toward the fallen dwarf. Kili turned over as quickly as he could, fumbling for his sword hilt as he scrambled backwards on the ground, eyes wide with fear. Thorin and Fili had already begun to race toward him, realizing that they would likely be too late. The warg bared its teeth as it lunged toward Kili's throat, who had just barely gotten his hand to the hilt of his sword.

"NO!" Thorin and Fili shouted, voices raised in a battle cry as they raced toward their fallen kin. Kili's face turned white as he too realized that he would not be able to draw his sword in time. Suddenly there was a loud cry that was far too high pitched for any dwarf man, and a flash of white appeared in front of him.

Fili and Thorin had been so focused on Kili that they had completely missed the fact that Cirashala had been watching Kili intently, ready to sprint the second something went amiss. She took off running as fast as she possibly could the second the dwarf began to fall. She had rounded slightly, not racing directly toward him, for she had not known if she could jump high enough over him to get between him and the warg and knew that she must get between them no matter what.

For all the hardiness of dwarves, even if their kin was in danger, most of them were no sprinters, and she had always been fast, running the 40 meter dash in just under 7 seconds eight years prior in her weight training class back in high school. She was hampered by her injuries, but her determination to not be the cause of anyone's death far outweighed it.

Somehow she managed to beat Thorin and Fili. If it was some external force at work, or her sheer stubbornness and determination, or the fact that she had intentionally been just a little closer, or if it was because neither Thorin nor Fili had expected Kili to trip, she did not know. But however it had happened, she had arrived before either of them.

The warg had just jumped when she had gotten in front of Kili, and its teeth sank right into her side as she fell on top of the startled young dwarf she was protecting. White hot pain seared through her body, worse even than the pain she had experienced in her long labors before she received her epidurals. It hurt so badly that she couldn't even cry out, and her body immediately reacted to the pain by vomiting. She puked right in the wargs face, which could be considered lucky in hindsight, because at this point all that remained in her stomach was straight acid, and the warg howled as it came in contact with its eye, jerking its head and the prey in its jaws. In one last act of desperation, she reached up her right hand and plunged the knife in the warg's eye.

The warg's jolt as it suddenly died caused its head to jerk to the side and its jaws to release, flinging her onto the ground a few feet from the stunned dwarf. The orc that had been thrown off as well with the warg's last breath jumped up and charged them with his sword raised. Fili and Thorin had reached Kili, who had finally managed to stand up and draw his sword. Thorin yelled as he sliced off the head of the orc, before the three dwarves surrounded the seriously injured girl, who was writhing in agony on the ground, blood staining her white clothing red. Cirashala saw black in her vision, and turned her head to vomit again because of the pain. She merely dry heaved this time, her stomach truly empty now, causing the pain in her abdomen and back to worsen, before she mercifully slipped into unconsciousness.

XXX

Thorin and Fili had stopped dead in their tracks for half a second when Cirashala had jumped in front of Kili, too stunned to move. Thorin quickly snapped out of it and pushed Fili along, and they both yelled war cries as they approached the scene, weapons drawn. They reached them just as Kili had stood up, and while Thorin dispatched the orc rider, Fili and Kili had surrounded the girl. They snarled at the orcs and wargs that now completely surrounded them, closing in on their prey with teeth bared and bloodlust in their eyes.

When he had realized that it was Cirashala who had jumped in front of the warg, taking the bite that had been meant for his neck, Kili had frozen, mouth hanging open and completely stunned beyond belief. He managed to pull his sword out, but for the brief seconds she was on top of him, he was pinned and could not get up. As soon as the warg threw her though, he scrambled up and immediately stood between her and the advancing wargs. He had no idea why she had done that, or how she had managed to beat his brother and uncle to it.

_She must have known. Somehow, she must have known, _he thought, more than a little frightened at how she just seemed to _know_ what was going to happen before it did. However, he was immensely thankful for it now, because he had no doubt he would have been killed if she had not done what she did. And, by Mahal above, he was _not_ going to let these wargs get anywhere near her or his family. He risked a quick glance down at her, and was very worried at how much blood the now unconscious girl was losing.

The three of them heard the rest of the dwarves attempting to climb back out of the hole they had just fallen in, cursing violently at the steep slope that was not allowing their feet purchase, when suddenly a sharp, clear horn rang out over the valley.

The wargs, orcs, and three dwarves' heads all turned toward where the sound had come from as a group of armored elves on horseback appeared over the crest of the hill. The three dwarves kept their vigil over the fallen girl, watching the elves with little disguised suspicion and, in Thorin's case, disgust. The elves were making quick work of the orcs and wargs, spears and arrows flying from their skilled hands. Kili set his sword beside him on the ground where he could reach it quickly and, while his brother and uncle stood ready to defend them, knelt by the injured girl. He was less concerned about the elves as he was about making sure the young maiden did not die.

Her undershirt or whatever it was had begun turning red far too quickly for his comfort, and he pressed his hands to her wounds, trying to stem the flow of blood. He looked at her ashen face, and quickly reached up to brush the muddy hair away from it and off her shirt so the mud didn't get into her wounds. Her pale face was still streaked with mud and now blood, and was quickly turning the same shade as her clothes had been previously. He began to put as much pressure as he dared on her wounds, trying to stop the bleeding but at the same time trying to make sure she could still breathe. Unfortunately, Oin was the healer amongst them, and had his medical kit with him and thus all the healing herbs and bandages were out of reach at the moment.

The elves had killed most of the wargs, with Thorin and Fili also killing some of them. The remaining wargs and orcs fled into the distance. Thorin and Fili held up their weapons as they stood on either side of Kili and Cirashala, and narrowed their eyes as the elves changed course and began to encircle the four of them. The elves had arrows on their strings, but did not make to fire. Thorin glared at them with all the hatred he held for their race showing plainly on his face. Fili did not glare at them in the same way, however, the look he had on his face told volumes to those who could see it.

_You take one step closer to my kin, and I __**will not**__ hesitate to kill you. _

One tall elf, with long dark brown hair and a circlet on his head, dismounted and approached the dwarves. His grey eyes beheld thousands of years of wisdom, and though he had weapons drawn against him, the look on his face was not unfriendly. But as soon as he saw the injured girl, the expression on his face immediately changed to one of deep concern. He moved toward her, only to be met with Thorin's sword pointed at his chest. He stopped, and raised his hands as he looked at the dwarf king.

"Come any closer to our companion, and you will meet your death," Thorin warned in a low but steely tone. The elves immediately drew their weapons to their full length and pointed them straight at Thorin, but the dark haired elf immediately barked a command in Sindarin.

"Daro!" he ordered, looking around at his companions. The elves looked at him in confusion. Their eyes continuing to regard Thorin with suspicion, and they kept their arrows at the ready, but their bows were lowered. Thorin glared at them before returning his gaze to the elf who seemed to be their leader.

The dark haired elf returned his gaze and looked him directly in the eye.

"Your companion is badly injured," he said in Westron, "she needs a healer right away."

"We have our own healer amongst us," Thorin retorted, "he will tend to her. We do not need any help from elves." He said the last word with undisguised disdain, and the elves cast him dirty looks and began whispering to each other in Sindarin, but one look from their leader silenced them. He looked back at Thorin.

"She cannot wait for your healer to return. She is losing blood very quickly and could bleed to death," he said, getting more frustrated. Thorin merely glared at him, his eyes saying he knew this perfectly well.

"If your men would simply _move_, we could rejoin our companions and she could receive healing," he growled back, glaring up at the elf. The elf sucked in a breath, seemingly to remain calm, though his grey eyes were now sparking dangerously.

"If you were to join your companions, the road you take will take you far too long to reach a place where you could safely heal the girl," he answered, voice still seemingly calm but edged with steel, "We can get her to a safe place where we could heal her in far less than half the time it would take you on foot."

"I will _not _allow you to take her one step away from here!" Thorin all but yelled at the elf, who was visibly angry now as well. Kili looked from one to the other, hands still pressed against her wounds, though he could feel the blood seeping through his fingers. He was not sure what to do now. He and Fili shared a glance, wondering what was going to happen, and more than a little frightened at being heavily outnumbered and at a very clear disadvantage. They had never met elves before, though they had heard plenty about them throughout their lives, and none of it good, considering it had come from other dwarves who shared their uncle's extreme distaste for them. They looked at their uncle worriedly.

Suddenly Gandalf appeared. He had managed to finally get out of the hole, amidst the vehement protests of the dwarves below, who had still been unable to get themselves out. All they knew from the sounds and the orc falling in the hole with an arrow imbedded in its throat was that elves had joined the fray and that their King and two young Princes were out there, fighting alone while they could not even get out of the miserable hole to aid them. Bilbo and a few others were also concerned about the girl, who was also still out there, not knowing how she had fared in the skirmish.

Finally, after Gandalf had managed to escape the hole, Ori spoke up over the arguing and cursing dwarves. He suggested they climb upon each other's shoulders and help each other out, the last ones getting pulled out by the ones already out. The arguing ceased once the quarrelling dwarves had realized that it just might work, and the dwarves began to execute the plan.

XXX

Gandalf seemingly had arrived in the nick of time to prevent some very unwise blows from happening.

"Enough!" he shouted, pushing through the horses to stand between the elf lord and Thorin. He pushed past Thorin and knelt by Cirashala, brow furrowed in concern, then beckoned the elf lord over. Thorin glared at Gandalf and moved to step between the elf lord and the girl again, earning a massive glare from Gandalf.

"Lord Elrond is one of the best healers in all of Middle-earth! Let him pass!" he shouted, "Your bickering may have cost this foolish girl her life!" Thorin glared at him, but not wishing to anger the wizard further, moved aside.

Lord Elrond knelt by the girl, holding his hand over her forehead and checking her pulse at her temples. His brow furrowed in concern, and he spoke some elvish healing words. Kili had stood up, allowing Gandalf and Lord Elrond to be on either side of the girl, but his stricken gaze did not leave her. He knew full well her injuries were his fault. If he had not been so clumsy, she would not have been bitten or thrown by the warg. And the guilt of that was eating away at him. Fili put his hand on his brother's shoulder reassuringly, and was met with red cheeks and brown eyes that had begun to get misty. Fili could tell his younger brother was dangerously close to tears, though he tried valiantly to hold them back and appear brave, and squeezed his shoulder. Kili knew what Fili was telling him.

_It's alright, little brother. It wasn't your fault. She is going to be fine._

He shook his head slightly at his elder brother, and Fili met his gaze with concern, before they both returned their gaze to the unconscious girl.

Lord Elrond had retrieved a bag of bandages from one of the elves' saddle bags and had hastily wrapped her abdomen with them to try and stem the flow of blood. The bandages were quickly turning red as well, though they did slow the bleeding. Suddenly the elves heard several dwarfs cry out to the left of them, and everyone turned toward the direction the noise came from.

The dwarves had finally gotten themselves out of the hole, and once they saw elves surrounding their missing kin they had immediately led forth with a battle cry. But Gandalf, the second he had heard their cry, raced to stand between the elves and the angry dwarves.

"Stop!" he shouted, "The elves are not going to harm any of you! The girl was badly hurt, and the elves are trying to save her life! If you value yours, you will drop your weapons at once!"

The dwarves stopped short in confusion, glaring at the elves, but at a nod from Thorin, they lowered their weapons. At Lord Elrond's command, the elves who had raised their weapons at the sound of the battle cry lowered theirs as well. Gandalf told the elves who blocked the dwarves from their kin to let them pass, and the dwarves gathered around Thorin and his nephews and the injured girl, standing back far enough that the healer could work. Oin grabbed his bag, and at Gandalf's permission, went to assist Lord Elrond at wrapping a second layer of bandages over the first one.

Balin had glanced at the blood pattern he saw and instantly recognized the injury as a warg bite. He took one look at Kili's stricken but uninjured face and his brother comforting him, as well as Thorin standing protectively observing the elf with the girl, and got a fairly good idea of what had happened. Somehow, after Thorin had cried out to Kili and he and Fili had run away from the passage, the girl had managed to defend the youngest heir, earning a nasty warg bite for her troubles. He also saw the black blood on her right hand, and had seen Fili give her his knife, which was now imbedded in the eye of a warg. Since Fili still had his other knife in his bracer, Balin fitted the pieces of the puzzle together. He shook his head, eyes showing concern as well. He could not figure out how she had gotten to Kili before the two people among them who loved him the most did, but however she did it, he was grateful to her. He had helped Thorin and his sister Dis raise the two boys after their father fell in battle, and loved those boys like his own. And if this girl had taken such a grievous injury defending Kili, then he would be forever indebted to her. He had no doubt as he looked at his friend that Thorin was feeling indebted and guilty as well.

XXX

Lord Elrond stood up, and whistled. The horse he had dismounted from made its way over to its master. He spoke in hushed conversation with Gandalf in Sindarin, their words sounding grim. Kili knelt again by the girl, and, not knowing what else to do, took her hand and held it, looking at her face and swallowing hard. Fili walked over to him and placed his hand on his shoulder again, hoping the strength he drew from his brother would be enough to keep his tears at bay.

Gandalf and Lord Elrond finished their harried conversation, then Lord Elrond approached them and made to pick up the girl. Thorin immediately stalked over to him and stood in between Cirashala and Lord Elrond again. He gritted his teeth, as though the words he spoke pained him.

"We," he cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable. Then he continued.

"Thank you for aiding our companion. But we will _not_ allow you to take her away," he said, a determined set to his jaw. He looked up at the elf, as though challenging him to question his decision.

"This is only temporary to try and stop the bleeding before she loses any more blood. The girl needs to be taken to a house of healing where her wounds can be _properly_ cleaned and treated," Lord Elrond insisted, "Our valley has a proper place for her to be taken care of."

Thorin widened his stance and crossed his arms in front of himself, glaring up at the elf.  
"We can treat her on our own from here," he growled, "I will not allow you to take this girl into _any_ elvish valley."

Gandalf glared at him.

"Curse the stubbornness of dwarves! She must be taken to the hidden valley or she will very likely die, Thorin Oakenshield!" he spat, completely fed up with the dwarf king at this point.

Kili looked from one to the other as the trio again started arguing. Not knowing what possessed him to do so, he looked at his brother, then very gently picked up the girl, and, to everyone's surprise, pushed right between Thorin and Gandalf.

All arguing ceased as several pairs of eyes turned toward the young dwarf. Swallowing hard, Kili glanced at his uncle, before looking the elf straight in the eye.

"Where is your valley?" he asked quietly, earning many surprised gasps and wide eyed stares among both the astonished dwarves and elves. Thorin glared at him. Fili looked at him with his mouth hanging wide open, as if he could not believe his ears. Kili shrunk a little at Thorin's gaze, knowing his uncle will be furious with him, but desperate to get Cirashala the healing she needed. And if Gandalf, being a wizard, thought the only way for her to survive was to go to the elven valley, so be it.

Gandalf placed a hand on the young dwarf's shoulder, smiling encouragingly at him.

"It is right through that passage I led you to," the wizard replied, earning a death glare from Thorin as he realized the wizard had planned to lead them to Rivendell this entire time.

"Yes, master dwarf, that passage leads to our valley, however our horses enter the valley by another path, and it will be much faster if she were to ride with me on my horse. It is imperative that we get her to the valley as soon as possible," Lord Elrond replied to the young dwarf, "we have wasted much time in debate already." He finished, looking pointedly at Thorin.

"I will not allow her to be taken to the valley without a dwarf with her," Thorin answered, still glaring at Kili, "She is under our protection and I do not trust anyone besides us to take her anywhere." The elf was about to retort, and Gandalf looked like he was about to crack Thorin over the head with his staff, when Kili spoke up.

"Then I will go with her," he said, then, cheeks reddening in embarrassment, he added, "But someone will have to shorten the stirrups for me." Thorin looked like he was about to either blow up or faint, possibly both. But Kili kept his gaze leveled at Lord Elrond, until the elf nodded. He turned and walked over to his horse, shortening the stirrups in a matter of seconds, then led his horse over to the young dwarf.

"I will ride with one of my men, and you may use my horse," he said. Gandalf took Cirashala out of Kili's arms while Kili struggled to mount the very tall beast. Fili jumped in before the elves could further embarrass Kili by lifting him onto the horse in front of everyone, and knelt with his hands intertwined. Kili shot him a grateful smile before placing his foot in his brother's hands and mounting the horse. Then he reached out, and Gandalf handed him Cirashala. He sat her sideways on the horse in front of him, his right arm around the middle of her back while holding the reins in his left to keep her from falling off. He nudged his shoulder so her head wasn't falling backward but rested in the crook of his neck before looking at the elf for direction. He could not bring himself to look at his uncle for fear of the condemnation in his gaze, nor would he dare look at the ground, for horses were much higher than ponies, and he feared that if he dwelled on how far he was above the ground with such a large animal beneath him he would end up falling off.

Gandalf finally seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. Lord Elrond whispered to the horse Kili was mounted on, before mounting himself behind a golden haired elf, who also bore a circlet on his head, and gave what Kili supposed was the order to move out in Sindarin, and the column of riders began to ride towards the northwest.

"Your kin and I will take the path and meet you in Rivendell," Gandalf said, patting the horse's neck. Kili nodded, then spurred his horse on to follow the elves. Thankfully the horse he was riding knew that its rider was slightly inexperienced and so made sure to follow the host on its own without bouncing up and down too much, as his master had told him to make the ride home swift but gentle.

Kili glanced at the ashen girl in his arms. He silently prayed to Eru that they would not be too late.


	5. Chapter 5

_**I do not own any of the characters or the Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC) those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reull Tolkien, and without his genius, this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.**_

_**Please review! I love getting them-they keep me encouraged! J**_

As the dwarves and Gandalf watched the elven host ride off with their companions, they cast looks among each other. Gloin muttered something in Khuzdul that was very unflattering about the elves, when a look from Gandalf silenced him. Thorin's face was red, and his hands were balled into fists, knuckles turning white. He turned to Gandalf.

"I _told _you I would not go near that place, and yet you deliberately lead us right to it!" he growled, glaring at Gandalf in such a way that, if looks could kill, Gandalf would be dead on the spot. Gandalf glared right back. The two of them stood opposite each other, with the company and Bilbo safely backing away, both for fear of being accused of eavesdropping and being too close when the dam finally broke and the wizard turned Thorin into something unnatural.

"The fact of the matter is, Thorin Oakenshield, that we have no choice but to go to Rivendell," Gandalf growled. "We need that map to be read, and Lord Elrond is the only one who can do it! I do not have the skill to find whatever is hidden in that map, or have you forgotten that I _told _you that back in the Shire?"

"Are you insinuating that my memory is that bad?" Thorin growled back. "I have not forgotten-which is why I distinctly remember that you mentioned _nothing_ about elves when you said it!"

"And what else am I supposed to do? I admit to you that I cannot read the map fully, and yet you dwarves seem to think me as nothing more than some cheap conjurer of tricks, a tool meant solely for the amusement of children! Or, as in the case of the past day and night, someone who should always be around to get you out of the messes you put _yourselves_ in!" Gandalf shouted.

"What do you mean _the messes we put ourselves in_?" Thorin responded. "If you are speaking of the trolls, I can assure you that it was not us, but rather a certain 'burglar' of ours who not only failed to reacquire our stolen ponies, but got himself caught in the process! Our contract specifically said that we would not be held responsible for injuries he sustains on this quest, _including_ evisceration! I chose to lay down my sword to protect him as a dwarf of honor, though in hindsight maybe I should have let him die with his own mistakes!"

Despite the company moving well enough away from the brewing tempest, it was impossible in those open lands for the two combatants to not be heard. Balin glanced at Bilbo, who looked completely crushed and full of guilt at placing the company in danger simply because he hadn't been paying attention. He saw a slight bit of movement out of the corner of his eye, and noticing Fili fidgeting uneasily and casting glances between Bilbo and Thorin.

XXX

Fili knew full well that the troll incident was not Bilbo's fault at all. He and Kili had been the ones who had left the ponies unattended while they had argued over who would get to visit the bushes first. Fili had insisted that he go first because he was the eldest, whereas Kili had insisted he go first because the last night Fili had gone first. A few minutes later, the argument had gotten more heated, with growling stomachs and the frustrations of the day beginning to wear on them. The next ten minutes found the two young warriors wrestling on the ground, each trying to pin the other so that they could be declared the winner. The loser would stay with the ponies while the winner would get to visit the bushes first.

Unfortunately, they were so well attuned to each other, having trained together for most of their lives, that each could anticipate the other's move. Just because they were close brothers and best friends alike did not mean that they never fought. Fili was stronger, but Kili was more agile. They were both far too stubborn to yield to each other as well. And they both knew which insults would set off the other, prolonging the fight. They balanced each other out, so this traditional method of solving their arguments could easily take them a while to sort out.

But by the end Fili had finally pinned Kili, who laid under him cursing violently in such a way as to earn a massive hiding from his mother if she ever heard those words leave his mouth, trying desperately to get his brother off. They had stood up, Fili offering his hand to his brother, who ignored it, his pride being hurt at having lost the match. They had brushed themselves off, and Fili turned to head into the bushes, when something had caught his eye. He blinked, then began frantically counting the ponies, coming up two short each time. Kili had given him a dirty look, and said that if he didn't want to bother claiming his prize that he would just go instead. Fili had retorted that he thought two ponies were missing. Kili didn't believe him at first, but Fili had defended his case. Kili counted the ponies and his face blanched. They two looked at each other, and had counted the ponies twice more, eyes flicking back and forth, when Bilbo had come upon them.

Fili had the idea to send Bilbo in after them, since Gandalf had said he was a burglar after all. Being a dwarf, who by nature never go anywhere without at least _some_ kind of weapon, had had no idea that Bilbo didn't even have a simple knife, or he would have lent him one. He and Kili had used that opportunity to take care of their business, and afterwards had hidden in the bushes eating their stew and watching the events unfold, wondering how their burglar was going to pull off his "reacquisition".

As he listened to Thorin degrade Bilbo's mistake in front of everyone when it hadn't even been his fault in the first place, Fili had begun to feel extremely guilty. He had also been terrified that he would lose his brother earlier, and that did not help him feel any less guilty at failing both his brother, their hobbit friend, and the young girl in a span of less than an hour. Seeing Bilbo's face, he decided to at least try to rectify _one_ mistake from today.

"Uncle," he said, approaching the now very angry wizard and dwarf King, his palms very sweaty and his hands trembling, "It was not Bilbo's fault that the trolls captured the ponies. Nor was it his fault that he was sent in to retrieve them. Kili and I lost them, and we set the burglar amongst the trolls to retrieve the ponies in order to rectify our mistake, not knowing that he was as inexperienced as he is. It was my idea. Forgive me."

He bowed his head at the ground, swallowing hard. He knew that he would most likely be punished for failing in his trust to watch the ponies, but perhaps with Kili not here he as the elder brother would be able to take the brunt of it. Assuming of course that Thorin had calmed down by the time they reached Kili, but given that they would reach him in the midst of an elven valley that his uncle had not even wanted to go to in the first place, he wasn't so sure. But then again, perhaps his uncle would be too distracted glaring at the elves to remember it.

Thorin and Gandalf stopped arguing, and Thorin fixed Fili with a stern glare.

"It was you two who lost the ponies, after I _told_ you to make sure you stay with them?" Thorin asked him sternly. Fili nodded, eyes downcast. Thorin crossed his arms in front of his chest, regarding his eldest nephew with a stern visage.

"You not only endangered the life of our burglar, but the lives of your brother and the rest of your company as well with your carelessness," Thorin replied. Fili swallowed, and his cheeks reddened in shame. He felt tears of shame prick at the corners of his eyes, but quickly blinked them back.

"I am surprised at you Fili. Kili can be reckless, but you are usually more levelheaded," Thorin continued his lecture. Balin saw that the lad felt terrible at what had transpired, and also began to feel uneasy at the silence that was now surrounding them. It was far too quiet, and they were completely exposed out here on the plain. He shared a glance with his brother, who nodded, having noticed too. Dwalin approached the dwarf King.

"Thorin, can this wait? We are far too exposed here, and the wargs that ran off will return," he pointed out .

"We need to get moving toward Rivendell," Balin added. "Young Kili and the girl have hopefully arrived there by now, or will shortly. He does not know much about healing, and will not be able to ensure that the girl is receiving proper care. The lad will need us there to help him, especially since he has never seen elves before nor had dealings with them, and does not speak their language."

Then, speaking Khuzdul in a low voice so only Thorin would hear, he added, "_If this elvish lord is as educated as Gandalf says, he may know who you are and the lad's relation to you. And we should not leave him on his own and unprotected, especially since you have succeeded in angering their lord_."

Thorin nodded, and looked toward his men, casting one last glare at Gandalf.

"We follow the path Gandalf showed us to the elvish valley," he ordered, "and we make haste. Do not stop or slow down, and keep your eyes open. Elves are not to be trusted."

Gandalf rolled his eyes and sighed in exasperation. The dwarves were at least going to where he needed them to. He wisely chose to not question Thorin, and take what was given to him. Goodness knows there would not likely be any other time he could convince this stubborn dwarf king to enter a kingdom of elves willingly, even if said king was not the least bit happy with the idea.

XXX

The host of elves rode speedily northwest until they came to a river that flowed down from the mountains, then turned west and continued along the river for about ten minutes. Suddenly, they turned left, then stopped in front of a tall rock face. Lord Elrond muttered some words in elvish, and Kili's eyes widened as the rock face split to reveal a narrow path that wound downward. The host entered the path single file, led by the horse that held the two elvish lords, with Kili's horse being second in line behind his master.

Kili had held the unconscious girl tightly in his arms as they rode, pressing her up against him in order to continue putting pressure on her wounds. As they entered the narrow path, his grip tightened on her. He knew that he was past the point of no return, as there was no room for two horses to stride side by side let alone for a single horse to turn around.

He began to question his decision to defy his uncle in order for her to receive aid from these elves, but immediately dismissed the notion. She had saved his life, risking her own in the process, and now he was deeply indebted to her. Blood debts were taken very seriously by dwarves, and they were honor bound to ensure that the one they owed their life to would not be harmed while under their protection as long as the debt was owed.

There was no way in all of Arda that Kili was going to let these elves harm her as long as he drew breath. He could not see much past the horse and riders in front of him, but he kept his eyes and ears open just the same. He didn't know if the elves had noticed, but his bow was only loosely tied to his quiver, enabling him to draw it very quickly, and his sword was untied as well. Should it come down to it, Kili knew he couldn't possibly fight this many elves and hope to come away alive. But if it did, he would go down fighting, taking as many elves with him as he could.

XXX

Kili had heard many stories throughout his life about how the elves had simply turned their backs on the dwarves of Erebor in their greatest need. While common sense told him that the elves couldn't have really done much harm to the dragon once it got into the mountain if the dwarves themselves hadn't even been able to defend it, the knowledge that the elvenking had denied the refugees aid after the fact grated on his nerves.

XXX

Many dwarves, including women and children, died that winter, exposed on the vast plains between the greenwood and the withered heath. Most died from starvation and the bitter cold, although there were some that died from wolf raids and others killed in orc and bandit raids. Dwarves value their women and children as their greatest treasures, for dwarf women made up only about a third of their people, and children were rare, since not all dwarf women married. And many dwarf women who were expecting little ones had died in childbirth out on the plain, often losing their newborn babes as well.

Thorin, being third in line for the throne, had been in charge of the refugees since his father was injured from the dragon's attack and his grandfather was mad with gold sickness. Despite being furious with the elves for turning their armies back during the dragon's attack, he saw the suffering his people endured needlessly. He sent a delegation to the elf King, asking for aid and safe passage through his realm. If they were able to do so, the trees would provide some shelter from the bitter cold and blizzards they encountered, and they might be able to hunt and feed their people as they traveled through. Balin had been among those in the delegation sent, being a trusted advisor of his grandfather, and Dwalin had gone as well, being one of the bodyguards of the delegation.

Despite their repeated pleas for aid, the King turned them away and threatened any dwarf who entered the borders of his land with imprisonment, and severe punishment to any who dared to hunt any animals within his realm. The king ordered the delegation returned to the edge of the forest with an armed elvish escort in tow. The escort allowed no breaks for rest until the escort and delegation had reached the borders of their king's realm, despite some members of the delegation being injured or hungry, for most elves hate and distrust dwarves, and the feeling was mutual among the dwarves.

Thorin of course had been absolutely livid, and would have gone directly to the elven King himself to show him precisely what he thought of his response, had his grandfather and father not needed him more, and had Balin not wisely talked him out of it. The dwarves continued on foot through the drifts of snow, with little more than the clothes on their backs, and skirted the forest to the north. They eventually arrived in Dunland in the south by spring, but at a heavy cost. More than half of the survivors from the attack perished, and the rest of the dwarves were sick and weary after months of scant rations and exposure to the harsh winter.

The women stayed in their encampments with the children and some men to protect them, while Thrain, Thorin, and the rest of the dwarf men who were physically able went into the villages of men to look for work wherever they could find it. Reduced to blacksmithing and coalmining, the dwarf prince and his father did whatever they could to feed and clothe their people, subjecting themselves to the scorn of men who looked down upon them and their race, a once mighty people brought low.

The dwarf king spent long hours by himself, grieving the loss of his mountain and his treasure. He was not much use to anyone in his madness, and though he was the rightful King, Thrain and Thorin ruled in his name so their people would survive. His madness was carefully safeguarded to avoid appearing weak to their enemies and own people alike.

Then Thrór had the mad idea to reclaim Moria (mostly for the coveted mithril that was only found there), and the armies of dwarves amassed together to drive the orcs out of the ancient hall, hoping to give their people a home. The battle raged on for three days, and Thorin's grandfather was killed, along with his brother. His father went mad with grief, and disappeared. Thorin rallied the armies and routed the orcs back into the stronghold, cutting off Azog the Defiler's arm in the process and earning his epithet, Oakenshield.

But the cost had been too great, and their people's numbers were even more dwindled than before. Thorin gathered the remnants of his people together, and, along with his younger sister, led them across Eriador until they found the ruined halls of Nogrod and Belegost in the Blue Mountains. His people found much coal and mined it, and ample smith work was found in the villages of men around the feet of the Blue Mountains. They cleared some of the ruins and restored homes and forges and shops, and it became known as Thorin's Halls. The refugees from Erebor began to mingle with their Blacklock and Broadbeam kindred that dwelled in the Blue Mountains as well, and life became peaceful.

His younger sister married, and Fili and Kili had been born not long after. Thorin managed to make a good life for his people in the ruined halls. While they were not rich by any means, they were prosperous after a fashion, and his people no longer went hungry. And he labored six days a week, traveling from village to village doing smith work, leading his scattered people as best as he could, and training his two young heirs for their roles as Princes of Durin's line.

Then, when young Fili and Kili had been 39 and 34, another devastating blow was wrought upon their family. Their father and uncle, returning from working in the village of men down the mountain, were set upon by a pack of wolves in the woods. They fought them off, but Thorin was severely injured and became ill for two weeks with infection, and their father was killed.

Dis was overcome by grief and stayed in her bed for several months, so Thorin moved in with the three of them to help take care of his sister and his two young nephews. She eventually was able to overcome her grief for the sake of her family, but the boys had become so used to "Uncle Thowin's" presence that he decided to stay with them. But he had always known that their home in Thorin's Halls was temporary, and that one day he would reclaim Erebor. He told his nephews many bedtime stories of it, and sang the Song of Erebor to them when they would be frightened of thunderstorms or nightmares. And always, he told his two heirs to never trust elves, for they had turned their back on Durin's folk that fateful day, and every day since.

XXX

The pathway finally began to widen, and the host of elves kept moving along swiftly. They emerged onto a wider road, and Kili's eyes widened as he first beheld the Valley of Imladris in the glowing sunset. The setting sun's light danced off the many waterfalls that graced the steep walls of the valley, cascading to the rivers below. The rushing sound of water was heard, along with the chirping of birds as they made their way to their nests for the night. But what struck him was not the sunset, or the waterfalls, but how everything in this valley seemed peaceful and ancient, and untainted. He felt as though he had entered another time, a time where Shadows and evil things had not yet graced Middle-earth, and the beauty of Arda was yet unmarred.

The unconscious girl stirred slightly in his now numb arm, and he shifted slightly before renewing his grip on her. He glanced down at her briefly, and he could see some slight color returning to her cheeks, though she remained unconscious. He began to feel more at ease, despite the obvious elven feel this place had, and could almost feel the horrors they had experienced beyond the hidden entrance had happened in another time and place.

_There is just something about this valley that seems to bring rest to those who are weary, _Kili thought.

He was almost entranced by the mysterious source of peace in this strange valley, but not quite. His concern for the girl in his arms remained, and he urged his horse just a little faster. The horse needed no encouragement-it knew that its warm stall and supper were getting nearer, and quickened its pace a bit, being careful to remain gentle as its lord had commanded it.

The elves and dwarf and young girl rode single file across a narrow bridge before coming to a circle that Kili guessed was their welcoming courtyard. At the end of the bridge were two stone sentinels in armor, each looking down toward the bridge at those who arrived in the valley. A dark haired elf with a plainer circlet and dark lavender robes approached them, and, at Lord Elrond's request, one of the soldiers dismounted and took the reins of the horse Kili and the girl were mounted on. Lord Elrond dismounted and spoke a few words to the elf that had greeted them, and he turned and hastened up the stairs in front of them, quickly moving out of sight. Kili guessed he had been sent to prepare the healing room for the girl.

Lord Elrond then turned to Kili and gestured toward the girl.

"Please hand her to me, Prince Kili," he said. Kili started, wondering how the elf lord knew who he was. His confusion must have been apparent in his face, because Lord Elrond gave him a small smile and a nod.

"Yes, I know who you are, and who you travel with. However, the girl needs a healer right away, and you cannot dismount and hold her at the same time," Lord Elrond explained, urgency in his voice at the last part. Kili stared at him for half a second, seeming not sure whether or not to trust him, before hesitantly handing the girl over to the elf lord.

Lord Elrond immediately hurried up the stone steps, and Kili all but jumped off his horse and hastened after him. However, the short legs of the dwarf were no match for the long stride of the elf, and he was very quickly left behind in Lord Elrond's haste. Muttering some rather unpleasant thoughts about elves under his breath, he quickened his pace until he was running as fast as he could. He came to the end of a hallway with a balcony overlooking a beautiful garden, and grabbed the stone pillar at the end to round the corner without slowing down or slipping on the smooth stone floor. He continued on, past startled elves, paying their stares no mind as he tried to catch up to his charge. He finally saw a door open ahead to the left, and the elf with the dark lavender tunic stepped out, speaking frantically to two servants in a lilting musical tongue that Kili guessed was elvish. The two elves quickly hurried away on their errand.

He stopped when he reached the door, and the elf who had spoken to the two servants looked down at him with an unreadable gaze. Kili stood with his hands on his knees, breathlessly gasping for air after his sprint.

"Wh-where is t-the g-girl who was h-hurt?" he gasped out between breaths. The elf raised an eyebrow at him, then spoke.

"She is in this healing room right now. Lord Elrond ordered me to make sure he was not disturbed unless absolutely necessary," the elf replied, casting the dwarf a suspicious look. Kili glared at him.

"That girl is under my protection. You _will_ let me in," he growled, making for the door. The elf stepped in front of it, and Kili's hand subconsciously went toward his sword hilt. He made a growling noise in his throat, and fixed the elf with the best "Thorin" glare he could come up with. When his uncle did that glare, it usually made people listen. However, he wasn't his uncle, though his glare was eerily similar, and the elf refused to be swayed by it.

"I do not take orders from _you,_ dwarf," the elf retorted. "Lord Elrond said he was not to be disturbed, and I intend to ensure that does not happen." The elf planted his feet and fixed Kili with a stare, daring him to contradict his verdict.

"You _will_ let me in, or I will be forced to take action against you!" He shouted, hand firmly grasping his sword hilt now. He drew his sword and pointed it at the elf's chest. Two guards that were standing at the end of the corridor ran over and drew their swords. They leveled them at the dwarf's throat, but he did not back down.

Suddenly a voice barked a command from inside the room, and the guards lowered their swords and backed up. The elf blocking the door stepped aside, and Kili sheathed his sword. He fixed the elf with a final glare, and pushed past him into the room, not caring if he shoved the elf into the doorjamb or not. The elf glared angrily at the retreating dwarf, rubbing his shoulder after the impact.

XXX

The sight that met Kili's eyes nearly had him faint and lose what little food was left in his stomach. He swallowed roughly and looked at the healer, who didn't pay him any mind, his hands busy with their task.

Lord Elrond glanced to the side, hands and forearms covered in bright red blood, and shouted something in elvish to him. Kili cast a questioning glance at one of the other healers, who were bustling about, handing Lord Elrond supplies and refilling bloody water filled basins with fresh hot boiling water from the fireplace.

One of them looked at the dwarf, who was still standing there looking confused, and spoke to the dwarf.

"Lord Elrond says that you are allowed in here if you wish, but you must stay by the wall and out of the way and give the young woman the privacy she requires," he said in Westron, before returning to his task. Kili nodded, and moved to stand by the wall. He could see the girl's pale face, but the rest of her was hidden by Lord Elrond's body as he worked quickly to cleanse the puncture marks from the warg's teeth.

An assistant stood by with a small bowl, and as Lord Elrond worked, he would drop what looked like small white objects in the bowl with a loud_ clink_. Kili's throat constricted as he realized that they were broken off warg teeth. He staggered to the side, where there was a large bucket, and vomited. Cheeks burning with embarrassment, he averted his eyes from any real or imagined stares and wiped his mouth and stood against the wall again, taking deep breaths to avoid a recurrence. Since when did the sight of a little blood cause him to be sick? Closing his eyes for a second, he tried to block out the distinct metallic smell of blood.

_The teeth must have broken off when the warg jerked after she stabbed it in the eye,_ he thought to himself. The sound of the teeth hitting the bowl stopped, and he opened his eyes to see Lord Elrond holding a needle and thread. After ten long minutes, he stood up, laid a cloth over her to preserve her modesty, and walked toward a washbasin and began to cleanse his arms from the blood. Attendants surrounded the girl and made sure she was kept out of sight as they wrapped final bandages around her wounds.

Kili moved off to the side as attendants took bloody sheets, towels, and bowls out of the room, and Lord Elrond approached him.

"She will likely be very weak for two weeks or so until her body begins to replace the blood she lost," he said, then looked the dwarf in the eye.

"The warg's teeth got imbedded in her wounds. It saved her life, because the teeth partially blocked the flow of blood, or she would have bled out in minutes. However," he looked at Kili gravely, "wargs are filthy, disgusting creatures, and there is no telling where those teeth have been."

Kili nodded, and Lord Elrond continued.

"Our biggest worry at this point is infection from the teeth having been in the wound so long," he said, "we will know if infection has taken hold within a few days. In the meantime, you and your kin are welcome to stay in Rivendell while your companion heals. I will order a room prepared for you all, and food as well. I will have Lindir inform your kin when they arrive. In the meantime, he will escort you to your room so you can get cleaned up before dinner."

"Kili, at your service," Kili bowed, "And on behalf of my people, thank you for aiding our companion."

Lord Elrond placed his right hand on his chest, and then lowered his arm palm up. Kili supposed that was the elvish response to his bow.

"You are willing to look beyond the prejudices of your race to help others in need," Lord Elrond said, smiling, though the smile was lessened by the concern over his patient, "If others were as willing as you to cast aside old hurts, perhaps peace can return between our peoples once again. You are very wise for your years and will make a very good lord of your kin, Prince Kili, son of Dis."

Kili accepted the praise for what it was, but could not help but feel as though Lord Elrond was giving him far too much credit. He was no diplomat. Fili had always been much better at such things. He tended to act before he thought, and it wasn't always rational. He fought with heart and emotion and passion, whereas Fili used his head and critically analyzed the situation before acting. He had merely done what any honorable dwarf would do with faced with a blood debt. Or so that's what he kept telling himself.


	6. Chapter 6

_**I do not own any of the characters or the Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC) those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reull Tolkien, and without his genius, this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.**_

_**Please review! I love getting them-they keep me encouraged! J**_

The company marched through the narrow path, although it was slow going. Bombur, being considerably wider than elves, kept getting stuck, and the company would have to pause for a few minutes while his cousin, Bifur, pushed him through.

Thorin was walking with a purposeful stride, and a glower that would have shriveled anything in its path. He was furious at Gandalf, both for forcing his hand at allowing the elf to help the injured girl, and for the underhanded way Gandalf ignored his wishes concerning his quest by leading them to Rivendell. He had questioned Gandalf's thoughts on this quest right from the onset, but, knowing that they had no chance in all of Arda against the dragon without the wizard's cooperation, he had eventually agreed to what Gandalf had suggested each time. But, this time he felt as though the grey wizard had gone way too far.

If he had had his wish, they would have hidden in the secret pass while the elves had fought off the wargs, then climbed out when all was quiet and continued on. Unfortunately, Kili had tripped, and his plan had become completely useless. The moment when he had realized that his youngest nephew would be killed right in front of his eyes had been absolutely terrifying to him. He loved the boys like they were his own sons, and, since he had been their father figure for over half their lives, he knew they regarded him as such. And he never would have forgiven himself for not reaching him in time.

What tore his heart even more was that he knew that Fili could not live if his brother died. They were so close, that Fili would not have the strength to go on and he would become a ghost of a shell, if he survived at all. He would be racked with grief and sorrow, and also of guilt. For, like his uncle, he would have never forgiven himself if he had let his younger brother die. From the moment Kili had been born, Fili had sworn to protect him always. Even though Thorin knew that a time may come where he couldn't protect him, and told Fili so, Fili still insisted that he would never let harm come to Kili.

Thorin had experienced the same pain when his brother, Frerin, had died. He had fallen at the Battle of Azanulbizar, along with the rest of Thorin's family save Dis, and Thorin had held him until his dying breath. He knew the pain of swearing to protect a younger brother, and of failing in his charge. He never, ever wanted Fili to experience what he had. But, Eru had had other plans, and for all Thorin did to try and tell Fili that it was a promise he may not be able to keep, he could not convince the elder that he couldn't protect his younger brother from everything. He finally gave up when Dis had told him that sometimes he had to let the boys learn life's hard lessons on their own. He wanted to protect them from the dangers life held, but as they became young men, and finally of age, he had realized (with Dis's help) that he must allow them to make their own decisions. And when the boys decided to join his company, he could not have been more proud of them.

He had expected them to join him on the quest, ever since Fili had heard that he was actually planning to reclaim Erebor, and not just dreaming about it. Kili always followed where Fili led, and so Thorin knew that, if Fili came, Kili would not be left behind. In a way, their first decision as grown dwarves had been more Fili's decision and Kili coming along for the ride, as it had always been.

He most certainly did _not_ expect Kili's own first decision by himself as a grown dwarf to be asking _elves_ for aid of all things! Had he even _been _listening during all those lessons on history and politics?! Or had Thorin and Balin simply been wasting their breath? He growled low in his throat and let out a loud exasperated sigh as the company finally reached the end of the narrow walls and looked out upon the very valley he had sworn he would never set foot in. Ever.

XXX

Lindir did not look the slightest bit happy at what he had been ordered to do, Kili noted, trying to keep a straight face at the obvious discomfort of the elf. He stood behind and to the side of Lord Elrond as he informed Lindir in Westron that the dwarves were to be their guests. Thirteen dwarves, in fact, in addition to a hobbit and Mithrandir. And when Lord Elrond had told Lindir that he was to greet the dwarf party, and inform them that there were to be food and lodgings prepared for them immediately, if Lord Elrond had not finished cleaning up by the time they arrived, Lindir's cheeks turned red in indignation and Kili could swear that the elf looked like he was about to spontaneously combust. The elf nodded his head, and accepted the orders stiffly, casting a sidelong glare at the smug dwarf, who smirked at him in return.

Lord Elrond nodded to Kili, and then left. Lindir openly glared at Kili, and said in a stiff voice, "Come, master dwarf. Your lodgings are this way." Kili followed him along three hallways, down a flight of stairs, and along another corridor until they reached a large room at the end. Some elves were busy hauling in fifteen feather beds, most man-sized (elf sized?) and one that was obviously for a child, laying the soft mattresses directly on the floor. Kili guessed the small one to be for Bilbo. Others were bringing in bedding, setting the pillows, blankets, and sheets on the foot of each bed.

Two elves brought in two washbasins and two pitchers and set them on a side table, along with a few small towels. A slightly ajar door off to the side revealed a smaller room with what appeared to be a hot spring right in the middle of the floor, tendrils of steam wafting up from the clear water. Kili moved to the side as another elf brought in two large stacks of towels and several bars of flowery smelling soap. He couldn't help the slight grin that ghosted over his face at the thought of the thirteen strong dwarves of the company smelling like roses.

The elves had finished their preparations and all left the room save Lindir and an elf woman. He muttered something to her, and she nodded and scurried out. Lindir turned toward Kili, and Kili was pleased to note that his jaw was still tight.

"Dinner will be served in half an hour," he said through gritted teeth, "I will arrive to escort you to Lord Elrond's study at that time. I _trust_-" Here, his eyes looked over the travel-stained clothing of the dwarf and his nose wrinkled in disgust, "You will have made yourself presentable by then." He turned on his heel and left the room quickly, not sparing the insulted dwarf a second glance. It was well that he didn't, however, because said dwarf immediately made a very rude gesture in igleshmek behind the elf's back, giving him a dirty look at the same time.

The door shut with a soft click, and Kili muttered a few choice words under his breath at the arrogant elf. He was more than willing to admit that, thanks to the disgusting troll's bags, he probably did not smell very inviting. He leaned down and sniffed his tunic, and scrunched up his face. Well, maybe the elf had a point. Plus, his tunic and his arms were still covered in the girl's blood, and the thought of what happened again made him feel a little sick to his stomach.

He made his way into what he assumed was meant to be the bath. The warm steam rising from the hot spring made the room rather humid, but the breeze wafting in from the small windows high up on the wall made it bearable. He locked the door behind him, not wanting any elves to enter uninvited, and began to remove his armor and clothing. He propped his weapons up against the wall, wishing to keep them handy. He slid into the hot bath, sighing with relief as the hot water instantly began to soothe his sore muscles. He leaned his head back and shut his eyes, relishing the feeling of finally being able to rest.

He still wasn't sure whether or not he could trust these elves. Thorin's warnings from many years rang through his head, and caused the young dwarf some bewilderment. Sure, Lindir and most of the other elves had looked on him with suspicion, if not downright disgust. The many long years of animosity between their races were very apparent in the way the elves had regarded him, and only at Lord Elrond's insistence had they managed to keep their scorn mostly to themselves. Kili's brow furrowed in thought.

Lord Elrond had confused him. It stood to reason that the elves had been protecting their own lands when they fought off the orc pack, but why had he insisted on helping the injured girl? She had not taken injury defending any of his men, nor did Kili think she was an elf given her stature. He could be wrong, he supposed, given that he had never met elves before, nor did he ever see her ears. However, he had always been told that elves were ridiculously tall, like the trees they lived under.

The only way the girl could be an elf given her stature is if she were a child, he thought. But, while Kili did not understand much about the physical differences between men and women (his mother had always sent him to his uncle whenever he had asked about that particular topic, seeming to think that boys should ask men and girls should ask women, and his uncle had always stuttered, turned red in the face, and sent him back to his mother, and he had finally given up on getting answers from either of them) one thing he _did _know, at least with dwarves, was that girl-children were flat chested like boys, whereas grown women like his mother had different chests than men.

This girl was not flat chested (it had been hard not to notice given that he had put pressure on her wound just below her chest, however he had tried not to stare out of respect for her), so she must be fully grown, if not close to it. She did not seem to have a beard, so was she a human? Is that why Lord Elrond had helped her? But yet, humans, like elves, were at least several inches taller than dwarves as well. Kili honestly wasn't sure what to make of her.

There was another thing that was greatly confusing him. Why had she saved his life? He was not her kin, nor did he think that she was even the same race as him. Was it because he had been kind to her in the cave? No, because she had seemed terrified of him. She had seemed to recognize his uncle, and had treated him as though he was her King, insisting on bowing to him despite her injuries paining her. Kili shook his head in bewilderment, and leaned forward to duck his head under water, washing the grime of travel away.

He brought his head out of the water, his face not being able to withstand the heat for long, and reached for a bar of soap. He sniffed it, wrinkling his nose. If Fili and the others noticed that he smelled like a flowery elf maiden, he would never hear the end of it. It was bad enough that he had finer features and a scant beard compared to other dwarves his age- he had often been teased for being a girl, especially when he was younger. It wouldn't help if he happened to _smell_ like one as well. He had a sneaky suspicion that Lindir had ordered rose scented soap for the dwarves' room deliberately and decided it was another good reason to dislike the uppity elf.

But, he decided with chagrin, he was desperate to rid his body of the nasty troll smell and the blood staining his hands, and, with a frustrated sigh of defeat, he rubbed the soap on a cloth and began to rid his body of the dirt and grime and blood covering it. He was a bit surprised to see that, no matter how dirty he was, the water never got darker. He supposed it must have a way for the old water to exit and new water to come in, even if it appeared to be a still pool.

Just as he leaned forward to rinse his hair, a loud knock sounded on the bathroom door, startling him with a rather undignified yelp as he slipped on the bottom of the pool, careening into the water head first with a loud splash. He came up sputtering and cursing, soapy water running into his blurry eyes.

"What?" he growled, hands blindly searching for a towel. He felt soft fabric under his hand and rubbed his face, finally being able to see, though his eyes still stung. His cheeks reddened with embarrassment as he realized that whoever was on the opposite side of the door must have heard the entire thing, because he could hear some stifled chortling coming from the other side of the door.

"Lord Elrond has sent me with some clothing for you to wear for dinner, and instructed me to take yours and have them washed, given that they are rather, _unsuitable _for dinner," he heard a familiar voice spit out, the elf's voice still wavering with suppressed laughter. Kili gritted his teeth, vowing that if Lindir began to full on laugh at his expense he would be more than happy to tell him exactly what he could do with said elvish clothes, and it would most definitely not be their customary use.

"If you think I am going to unlock that door as long as you are in here, you are far more stupid that even _I_ thought, and that's saying something," Kili retorted, wondering what would happen if the bar of soap next to him just _happened_ to slip out of his hand and smash against the intricately carved wooden door. The stifled laughter ceased, and Kili heard a soft thud on the other side of the door, followed by pounding footsteps and a door slamming shut. He laughed heartily. The elves he had encountered walked so softly that Lindir must have been very offended indeed if his footsteps had pounded _that _hard. He didn't like to think about what would happen if Lord Elrond suddenly decided to let Lindir have free reign, and decided that he should probably begin to at least attempt civility before he got both him and the injured girl kicked out of the valley.

His laughter ceased as he thought again of the girl, and his mien turned again to worry. He grabbed a towel and dried off quickly, before cracking the door open just enough to see into the room. Seeing no one, he reached through the door and grabbed the clothes before shutting and locking the door again.

He eyed the elvish clothes with a bit of distaste. Dwarf clothing resembled the dwarves themselves- very angular and intricate, like the gems and gold they wrought. The elvish clothing in his hands, however, had silvery vines embroidered on it, and the ends of the tunic much resembled the shape of leaves. It was a teal blue like his tunic, and yet so very different. There was also a pair of grey leggings to match the silver embroidery, and one look at them told Kili that he would have to roll up the ends in order to not trip on them. He knew he would be lucky if he didn't trip on the tunic as well.

He glanced at his admittedly filthy and muddy clothing, and decided that it would be rather difficult to eat if he still smelled of troll. He wished he had time to wash his clothes, but he knew Lindir would be back very soon, and he would have little choice if he wanted to get food. He donned the tunic and leggings reluctantly. For once, he thanked Mahal that he was slightly more slender than most dwarves, otherwise the tunic would be way too tight across the chest. It was still a bit snug, but he could breathe. If he had his brother's stockier build, he seriously doubted he could have even gotten it on.

He put his clothing in the bath to soak, with exception of his leather jacket, which had to be cleaned with a cloth. Then he donned his socks and boots and slung his bow on his back, and entered the bedchamber. Thankfully, the tunic remained above the floor, albeit not by much. There was a small mirror over the washbasins, and he ran his fingers through his damp hair before fastening it with his silver clasp. He looked at his reflection in the mirror, and sighed heavily, looking down. If his uncle hadn't been furious with him before, he most definitely would be now, with his nephew dressed and smelling like an elf.

But then his stomach growled loudly, and he pushed that thought to the back of his mind. If being on time for dinner meant getting to eat, whereas being late meant not, then he would succumb to looking like an elf, if only during dinner. But he did not look forward to the inevitable teasing that was in store for him later. He resolved to wash his clothes the second dinner was over, so he didn't have to wear this awful elvish garb for any longer than necessary. A knock on the door sounded, and Kili squared his shoulders and stood tall. They may be mocking him for all he knew, but he would not let them have the satisfaction of the elves knowing they had gotten under his skin. He was of the line of Durin, and a Prince of his people. He would cower to no one, least of all elves.

He only hoped his uncle wouldn't hate him for what he had done.

XXX

The dwarves marched down the road that led them toward the last homely house east of the sea. Their path was soon joined by another path that Bilbo guessed the elven host had taken, judging by the fresh hoof prints in the soft soil. He had been completely speechless as he finally gazed upon the elven valley that he had so often dreamed about as a child. If he was completely honest with himself, even as an adult the Tookish side of him had never stopped wishing to see elves either. He was finally going to get to see elves at last! He kept gazing in awe at everything he saw, drinking it all in as a man lost in the desert would drink an oasis. He felt as though he had stepped into the Elder days, and it was absolutely breathtaking. He firmly decided that, should he ever wish to leave the Shire and go somewhere else to spend the end of his days, it would most definitely be here. There was a feeling of peace, as though nothing bad ever entered this land, and he immediately began to feel as though the exhaustion that had plagued him for a couple weeks now was beginning to dissipate as though it were but a memory. He couldn't stop the rather undignified grin that adorned his face, until he remembered the reason why they were here. His face sobered as he wondered if the poor girl was still alive.

He had been no less surprised than anyone else when Kili and Fili had emerged from the troll cave with the young, frightened girl in Kili's arms. He had instantly felt pity for her, wondering what awful thing had happened that such a young girl would end up out in the middle of nowhere and missing her dress. His thoughts wandered to stories of brigands raiding villages and ambushing travelers. Being among the company of heavily armed dwarves (as he had found out after Fili and Kili had dumped their own arsenal in his bewildered arms in Bag End-the two of them alone had more weapons than all of Hobbiton _combined_ he was sure!) he needn't have feared being attacked by brigands on the road-he was quite sure the dwarves were intimidating enough that no bandit would dare to even _attempt_ to attack them.

When the girl had bowed to Thorin, he wondered how she possibly knew that he was the leader of their company. He had noticed that she seemed to match Kili for height, and thought that perhaps she may be a dwarf. But that had confused him even more, for in conversation one night he had asked Bofur about the stories that there are no dwarf women, and asked him if it was true. Bofur had laughed heartily, and the others had joined in, leaving a very confused and red faced hobbit wondering just what was so funny. Once they had calmed down, Bofur had explained to him that yes, dwarf women very much existed, though they were few, and they seldom, if ever went abroad unless at great need. He also explained that, when they did, they often disguised themselves as dwarf men for safety.

When Bilbo had asked how they could do that when the dwarf men had such large beards and women don't, Bofur had chuckled and said that dwarf women had beards too, but they were far finer and tended to be more off to the side and along the jaw line, though he had met one or two that had just as fine a beard as some of the dwarf men, Gloin's wife being one of them. Bofur had waved Gloin over, and explained to him what their conversation had been about. Gloin had laughed, and had proudly shown him a locket with his wife and son, Gimli.

Hobbits generally didn't have beards, and neither did their women or children, so Bilbo most definitely wasn't expecting Gloin's wife to have such a full one. He was a bit startled at seeing what was clearly a woman (and a child) with beards, but, seeing how proud Gloin was of his wife, and having not had Gloin been all that warm towards him until now, had decided to compliment her magnificent beard, though he felt a bit foolish doing so. Gloin had beamed, and slapped Bilbo heartily on the back, causing the poor unsuspecting hobbit to nearly go head over heels and start coughing, much to everyone's amusement.

So Bilbo had been rather confused at seeing the girl with no beard after what Bofur had said, since she had been shorter than both Thorin and Dwalin, but much taller than a hobbit woman. But at this point he didn't really care what she was. She had saved Kili, and Bilbo had been grateful for that. Kili had been the first one to befriend him, although it had grated on Bilbo's nerves that for the entire first week Kili had gotten his name wrong and insisted on calling him "Mr. Boggins" at every turn. And when Fili and Kili had started throwing his dishes at his home he had nearly had a heart attack.

But Kili had defended him to the company, despite everyone else (himself included) insisting that he wasn't a burglar and shouldn't come along on the quest. Kili had also been the only one (except the wizard who recruited him in the first place and the deaf Oin who seemed to think he was an expert burglar) who had been willing to bet on him joining them. And, though Kili's teasing about the orcs and other pranks he had pulled on Bilbo had annoyed him at times, he had been reassured by Balin that it was because Kili had taken a liking to him.

So when Bilbo had heard Thorin and Fili yell Kili's name with panic in their voices, he had been filled with horror. He had also found out that Kili was the youngest of the company and just barely of age, and the thought that the boy would die such a cruel death at the hands of a warg made Bilbo's heart plummet into his stomach. He was so relieved to see Kili shaken up but unharmed, only to see the poor girl lying in the pool of blood, the elf and Gandalf trying frantically to save her life. He had felt very worried, and felt guilty that he had jumped into the passage so quickly. He did not know how he could have ever hoped to defend the two when he had quite literally become the owner of a sword less than an hour before, but he liked to think that he could have done _something_ to keep it from happening.

If there was one thing Hobbits did fiercely, it was protect women and children. The fact that a woman had gotten hurt and that he hadn't been able to prevent it made him feel as if he had failed. He wondered if the others had felt the same, especially Thorin, who, despite his first displeased reaction at the girl's discovery, had been willing to risk fighting the elves to protect her. It confused Bilbo, who had no understanding of blood debts among dwarves. Gandalf had told Thorin to leave the talking to him, saying that the only ill will to be found was that which he brought himself. Bilbo had his doubts, but still dared to hope that Thorin wouldn't say something stupid and make things worse.

The company crossed over a narrow stone bridge, and the rushing waters below made Bilbo nervous. He could not swim (most hobbits couldn't) and there were no railings to keep him from falling into the river below. He tried to keep his mind off it by admiring the elven architecture before them.

XXX

The company arrived in a round stone circle, where an elf clad in dark lavender descended the steps to greet them. Bilbo heard Thorin whisper to Dwalin, "Stay sharp" and couldn't help but notice how the elf addressed Gandalf, conveniently ignoring the company. They spoke in elvish for a second, and Gandalf asked for Lord Elrond.

"Lord Elrond is indisposed for the moment, but he has instructed me to inform you…" the elf stopped as Gandalf looked behind him and smiled.

"Ah, Lord Elrond," Gandalf said. Lindir moved aside to allow his Lord to move past him.

"Mellon nin," Gandalf said. The wizard and Lord Elrond embraced in a warrior's hug, before Gandalf pulled back, concern in his features.

"How is the girl?" he asked. The dwarves gathered behind Gandalf and looked to Lord Elrond, deadly serious as they fingered their weapons, but did not draw them. Lord Elrond's face showed concern as he looked to Gandalf, before his gaze settled on Thorin.

"Welcome, Thorin, son of Thrain," he said to the dwarf.

"I do not believe we have met," Thorin replied coolly, a little surprised at the elf knowing who he was, and heightening the concern Balin had mentioned earlier regarding Kili's safety.

"You have your grandfather's bearing. I knew Thrór when he ruled under the mountain," Lord Elrond replied.

"Indeed, he made no mention of you," Thorin replied somewhat icily. Lord Elrond sighed, trying to remain civil.

"What of our injured companion?" Thorin asked, his expression demanding answers.

"She has lost a lot of blood, and it will take two weeks or so for her body to begin to replace what she lost. There were several broken warg teeth in her wounds as well. I got them all out, and her wound was cleaned, stitched up and bandaged," Lord Elrond replied. Thorin nodded, still suspicious of the elf, but approving of the treatment.

"What about infection?" Thorin asked gruffly, attempting to continue being civil as he addressed the elf lord.

"I put _athelas_, or Kingsfoil as you may know it, in the wounds before they were stitched. It will help keep infection at bay, but we won't know for certain that she won't contract infection for a few days. She is very weak and remains unconscious, which is to be expected considering how much blood she lost. She is resting in a healing room right now," he replied. Thorin nodded, then fixed the elf with steely eyes.

"And the dwarf that brought her here? Where is he?" Thorin asked. The tall bald dwarf uncrossed his arms, and casually set his hand on the head of his warhammer, but Lord Elrond read the very clear meaning behind the gesture.

_If any harm has come to him, I__** will**__ kill you without hesitation._

He noticed many of the other dwarves, Thorin and the young blond one especially, looked coiled and ready to spring at the slightest hint of ill news regarding their young companion. He did not blame them. Dwarves were very protective of their kin, especially blood kin, and Lord Elrond was very wise. Though he had never met Thorin Oakenshield before, tales of his hatred for elves had spread far and wide. He had a pretty good idea that they were afraid that he knew who the young dwarf was and his relation to Thorin and had imprisoned him, or worse. And, if Lord Elrond's guess was correct, the blond dwarf looked similar enough to Thorin and was of a similar enough age to Kili that he guessed him to be the young dwarf prince's elder brother.

"Do not worry, Thorin, son of Thrain. He is unharmed and freshening up in the room I have ordered prepared for you. You and your kin are welcome to stay in Rivendell until your female companion is healed," Lord Elrond replied.

Thorin nodded, then Lord Elrond continued to look at the dwarves as he ordered his servants in elvish to bring dinner to his study for his guests, and to fetch the young dwarf as well, for not all of his servants understood Westron. Plus, Lord Elrond felt that Thorin could do with a little bit of humility after his rude insult earlier about not having met formally before. As he had guessed, the dwarves jumped to conclusions, and cried out in indignation.

"What is he saying? Is he offering us insult?" Gloin growled. Gandalf rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"No master Gloin. He is offering you food!" he replied to the dwarf, casting a somewhat amused sidelong glance at Lord Elrond, who managed to keep a straight face in return.

The dwarves huddled together and quietly discussed the matter, before turning back toward the elf lord.

"Well, in that case, lead on," Gloin muttered. Gandalf allowed a small smile of triumph to grace his features as the company ascended the stairs.

If he played his cards right, perhaps he could convince Thorin to ask Elrond to get the answers they need. If not, perhaps he should go ahead and whack Thorin over the head with his staff. Goodness knows he has been tempted to do just that far too many times on this quest already, and he would love a good excuse to knock some sense into the stubborn dwarf king.

_He could sure use it_, Gandalf thought with a chuckle, _Even if it doesn't work, it would sure make me feel better at least. _


	7. Chapter 7

_**I do not own any of the characters or the Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC) those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reull Tolkien, and without his genius, this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.**_

_**Please review! I love getting them-they keep me encouraged! J**_

Lindir entered the room, his gaze a cross between critical and amused as he took in Kili's rather _elven_ appearance. Kili stared back at him, seemingly unaware of how ridiculous he looked. Then Lindir spotted the bow slung across his back, and he fixed the dwarf with a pointed stare.

"I am afraid you must keep your weapons here, master dwarf," he said, "You will not need them for dining."

"I would much rather keep my bow close to me, given that I am in an unfamiliar place," Kili replied civilly, though internally he wondered if this was somehow a trap, and if the elves planned to ambush him the second he was unarmed. His expression must have said as much, because Lindir sighed in exasperation and shook his head.

"As much as I would love to see you and your kin leave Rivendell as soon as possible, my lord has ordered me to fetch you for supper. He has granted you and your kin the honor of staying in Rivendell as guests for as long as it takes your hurt companion to heal," Lindir replied, then looked the dwarf in the eye.

"He has also informed all of us that you and your kin are his honored guests, and under no circumstances are you to be harmed, no matter how much we may dislike your kind, unless you threaten the safety of our people. And unfortunately, verbal insults do not count towards that," Lindir added, sighing in defeat.

"My kin have arrived?" Kili asked, hopeful. He was both excited and apprehensive, excited because then he could let the others deal with the elves instead of him and be reunited with his brother, and apprehensive at what the company's, and more specifically, his uncle's reaction would be when they saw him.

"Yes, they arrived a few moments ago. They are being shown to dinner, since it is a bit closer to where they are," Lindir replied.

"Why can I not take my weapons with me, when my kin will surely have theirs?" he asked. Lindir sighed again.

"Because dinner is ready, and to come here first will be far out of the way for your kin. Right now, they are closer to where dinner is being served than here," Lindir replied, "however, they will be ordered to remove their weapons before entering the room where dinner is to take place."

Kili nodded, and grudgingly set his weapons down by the bed he had chosen for himself. He didn't bother to inform Lindir that he had taken his knife and stashed it in his boot, just in case. Lindir nodded to him and turned to leave the room. Kili followed, noticing that he was following the same path that he had taken earlier when he had been shown the dwarves' quarters.

They passed the healing rooms, and Kili glanced at the door where the girl's chamber was. He wondered if he would be able to check on her for just a minute to see if she was safe, but Lindir continued to hasten along the corridor, quickly outpacing him. He had to jog a little to catch up, not wanting to get lost.

They passed over a courtyard with a balcony overlooking the valley, and a manservant opened the door ahead of them, nodding his head at Lindir. Lindir entered the room, where Kili could hear flute and harp music playing softly. He followed Lindir in.

XXX

"My lord, the young dwarf has arrived for dinner," Lindir informed Lord Elrond, who was presently speaking to Gandalf as they walked towards the balcony up ahead.

Gandalf looked up and saw Kili, and his face broke out into a grin.

"Ah, Kili. I am glad you have joined us, and I must say the elves have treated you well. I was just saying to Lord Elrond how kind he was to invite us for dinner though we are not really dressed for it, but it seems you at least are," he said, winking. Kili felt himself blush to the roots of his hair, keenly aware of the company's eyes suddenly on him.

Dwalin had been taking a drink of wine when he spotted him, and as soon as he saw the young dwarf the wine spurted out of his mouth and he gawped at him. Several other members of the company stared at him with their mouths hanging wide open, hands paused at whatever they were doing when they saw him. Even Bombur's hand had stopped halfway to his mouth as his eyes bugged out at the sight of their young prince dressed in elf clothing.

Fili had seen him, and did a double take, before jumping out of his seat and rushing to his brother. He grabbed his brother in a bear hug, catching Kili by surprise, making him have to take a step backwards to keep his balance. He pulled away from him, and stared at him in shock.

"Kili, _what in Mahal's name are you wearing?!"_ he asked, making his brother blush even more with embarrassment. Fili sniffed his nose, then a familiar gleam came into his eye. Kili groaned.

"Don't you dare say a word," he growled through clenched teeth. Fili merely grinned, the look on his face promising that Kili would most _definitely _be hearing about this later. And likely for a long, long time from now.

Kili gulped, and turned his head toward his uncle. He had never, ever seen such a look of shock on his uncle's face, jaw agape and eyes bugging out as though he could not begin to comprehend what he saw. If Kili hadn't been so nervous and embarrassed, he would have laughed until his sides hurt and tears streamed down his face at the dumbfounded expression on his regal uncle's face. But, at the moment, he wanted the floor to open up and swallow him whole.

"Thorin," he began, but was immediately silenced with a wave of Thorin's hand. His uncle's cheeks turned red and his eyes blazed, and Kili feared that he would be sent home right then and there. But, to his surprise, the elder dwarf directed his gaze at Lord Elrond. Gandalf glanced sidelong at Kili, who returned the glance, and both looked toward Thorin with worry on their faces, if not alarm. Kili didn't notice it, but the rest of the company had turned toward Thorin as well, wondering how their King was going to handle this little, er, situation.

Thorin's voice was surprisingly calm, although edged with steel, as he asked his host, "Lord Elrond, why is my neph—member of my company dressed," here he gestured toward Kili, "in elvish clothing?" His gaze settled on Lord Elrond, seemingly calm, but the elf could see full well that the dwarf king was close to exploding with anger.

"I had my servants provide him with clean clothing so his own could be washed, as it was covered in the girl's blood. The young master did not appear to have any spare clothing with him, and we could not fashion any dwarf clothing for him in so little time," Lord Elrond replied matter of factly, as though it was an everyday occurrence to see a dwarf dressed in elvish clothing.

Thorin's jaw opened as though he was going to retort, but shut again without a word. He clearly hadn't thought of that. The company looked from one to the other, not quite sure what happened. Bofur ended up being the one to break the tension.

"Well, come on and have a seat, laddie. I'm sure you're starving," Bofur called out, motioning to the empty seat between him and where Fili had sat. The tension seemed to lift just then, and Kili and Fili settled on their seats as conversation resumed.

"Can't say much for the food though," Dwalin muttered, "apparently these _elves_ don't seem to fancy meat." He rifled through his bowl again, as though he must have missed it the first four times he had searched, before shaking his head.

The flautist, seeing Oin with his ear trumpet, hovered over him and played louder, causing him to stuff his ear trumpet with a cloth napkin and grin in triumph. Kili and Fili chuckled a bit.

Fili leaned into Kili and slung his arm over his shoulder with a wicked gleam in his eye. Kili sent him a warning glare, but his brother ignored it.

"Well, I must say, Kili, you are looking mighty fine today," he sang out in a lilting voice. Kili glared at him again as the company snickered and dug his elbow into his brother's side.

"Ow!" Fili cried, rubbing his side and returning the glare.

"Smelling mighty fine too," Bofur said with a wink, "just like an elvish maiden."

The entire company erupted in laughter as Kili once again blushed. He had a sudden thought, and secretly reached for a tomato. Casting a glance to the side to make sure Thorin wasn't watching (the latter seeming to be in a discussion with Lord Elrond regarding the sword he found in the troll cave), Kili curved his wrist and threw it at an unsuspecting Bofur, hitting him smack in the face.

He fell backwards head over heels off his seat, landing with a loud cry on the balcony floor, his hat falling off in the process. The laughter doubled, drowning out the music as the elves regarded their "honored guests" with looks varying from disgust to amusement. Bofur sputtered and spit the seeds out of his face, before looking for the culprit. Fili and Kili were trying their best to look innocent, but their dancing eyes betrayed them.

"Oh, it's going to be _that_ way, is it?" Bofur asked, eyeing a peach.

"Bofur!" Thorin shouted. Bofur eyed the king, and retracted his hand, muttering that the "lad better watch his back for the next few weeks". The rest of dinner continued on without any more incidents.

XXX

The dwarves were led to their chamber by Lindir after dinner, and then Gandalf, Balin, Thorin and Bilbo went with Lord Elrond, leaving the other eleven dwarves on their own. Much amusement continued about Kili's new looks and smell, much to Kili's chagrin.

"Say, fair maiden!" Nori smirked, making Kili bristle. "How about I have a dance? I have never danced with an elf maiden before!" He made a sweeping and elegant bow. Several of the company snickered, watching Kili to see how he would react. Kili crossed his arms in front of him and did the best "Thorin" glare he could come up with, before a thought entered his head and he stood as tall as he could.

"You know what they say. Maidens tend to prefer men who are _taller _than they are," he replied, looking down at Nori, who was shorter than him. An indignant shout erupted from Nori as the company roared with laughter at the look on his face. Kili smirked, until Fili entered his line of vision.

"Alas, but who could resist such a sweet smelling jewel?" he crooned, dropping to one knee with his arm swept out before him, producing a rose he had picked from the bush outside their balcony. Kili decided he had enough and tackled Fili, and the two began wrestling on the floor. The company proceeded to place bets on who would win, most betting on Fili.

Kili ended up underneath Fili again, much to his annoyance. Fili stared down at his struggling brother, and his eyebrows wiggled with mischief.

"How did you become so sweet smelling brother?" he asked with a sly grin. Kili growled at him, before catching him by surprise and knocking Fili off him. Fili went to regain his footing, before tripping on one of their bags on the floor. Kili took the chance to grab him from the back under the arms and dragged him into the bathroom, before tossing him into the water. He reached for the soap and dumped all fifteen bars into the water.

Fili came up sputtering indignantly, and caught the scent of rose.

"Kili!" he shouted, before slipping on a loose bar and falling face first into the bath. The company was a mix of laughter and collective groans as those who bet on Fili had to pay up. Kili smiled triumphantly.

"Who's the sweet smelling jewel now?" he asked, grinning as he casually leaned against the doorjamb with his arms crossed in front of his chest. Fili, who had managed to climb out of the spring soaking wet, glared at him, earning more chuckles from the company.

Kili grinned again, and offered his hand to help him up. Fili looked up at him with a glare for a second, then grudgingly took his hand and stood up, all animosity forgiven. The company undressed and got in the bath, for it was big enough to hold them all. Sighs of relief sounded as the warm water hit their tired bodies. Someone accidentally splashed someone else, and pretty soon an all out water war ensued.

Kili got back in the bath too, not wanting to miss out on the fun. He dunked Fili, who was happy to return the favor, tackling him from behind and pulling them both under the water. The hot water got all over the bathroom pretty quickly, making the floors very slick. Ori got out, having forgotten to take off one of his clasps, when he slipped and fell back into the tub, dousing everyone in the wave. The company continued laughing as they washed their travel grime away, and soap bars were tossed around to those who needed them.

"This elvish soap smells absolutely terrible," Dwalin said, sniffing one of the bars, "No wonder Kili smells like bloody roses."

The splashing suddenly ceased, and the company went strangely quiet. Even those who were laughing heartily moments before (or who were still slightly drunk still from the elvish wine) had all laughter leave their eyes as Dwalin's comment reminded them of the events of that afternoon. Almost silently the company finished their bath, and began to wash their soiled clothing, hanging it to dry on ropes stretched across the balcony.

A few of the company half heartedly joked that they better not run across any of their kin for a while, for fear of them being mistaken for a bunch of women. Gloin wondered aloud whether or not his wife would like the soap and asked no one in particular if they thought the elves would notice if it was gone, but his eyes were not laughing. Each of the company felt the guilt and burden of the day settle on them.

The whole company felt guilty that they were not there when the young heir's life was in danger, and they also felt guilty that they had not been there when the three dwarves they had sworn loyalty to had to face first the wargs, then the elves on their own. A few, such as Dwalin, were very angry that the elvish pathway had been so difficult to exit from, and wondered if that had been some sort of defense to ensure that any enemy seeking refuge could not escape. If Gandalf had not been there to diffuse the tensions, most believed that Thorin, Fili, and Kili would have been taken prisoner, or been killed at the elves' hands.

There were some who felt genuine concern over the well being of the girl, such as Bofur, Fili, Kili, Oin, Dori, and Ori, and all of them felt guilty that a woman had to be the one to save the young heir's life. They lit their pipes and dressed in their underwear, with Kili and Fili also in their tunics, and built a fire on the balcony using one of the elven tables as firewood. Nori had slipped away briefly and returned with a few things he had, well, _acquired_ from the elves' kitchen, and Bofur roasted them over the fire, while many of the company pulled out their pipes. Bombur perched himself atop another table with a plate full of food, and Bifur for some reason decided that maybe if they roasted a head of silverbeet perhaps it would taste better. Bofur heard the table under Bombur creak ominously, and decided to test his theory.

"Bombur!" he said, tossing the sausage in his hand to his brother. Bombur caught it deftly, before crying out as the table crumpled underneath them. The dwarves laughed heartily as Bombur tried in vain to get up without slipping on the food that had fallen off his plate. Bofur was laughing so hard he fell over on his back. But within moments, the company was again reminded of the events of the afternoon, and the laughter died down, leaving each dwarf to their own thoughts.

XXX

Kili absentmindedly sharpened his knife as he puffed on his pipe, but he really wasn't paying attention to what he was doing. Sitting on a lounge that had been on the porch, he had his knees drawn up slightly as he leaned back. He was back in his own clothing, thank Mahal. The elvish clothes had felt so smooth that it made him feel strange and uncomfortable, being used to wool and leather.

His thoughts kept returning to the girl, and still he couldn't figure out why she had saved his life. He was very puzzled. Back in the Blue Mountains, there had been some dwarf lasses his age, but his brother usually got their attention, whereas they largely ignored him. He wasn't sure if it was because his brother was second in line to the throne, and as such would be guaranteed to become king of Erebor someday, or if it was because he was built more like a real dwarf and actually was able to braid his beard.

Whatever it was, Fili always caught the lasses' attention, though he turned them all down because he had decided he wouldn't court until Erebor was reclaimed. Kili knew there were a couple of lasses his brother would be more than willing to consider once Erebor was reclaimed, but his duty to Thorin came first. His brother had always taken his responsibility as Thorin's heir very seriously.

Kili, on the other hand, had often been ridiculed by both dwarf lads and lasses alike. His scant beard, small nose, and slight jaw line had earned him a few marriage proposals by dwarf lads who didn't know him and thought he was a lass. He had very quickly set them straight, and one of them had gone so far as to beat him up in his embarrassment. Fili had caught him as he tried to sneak in that night, and demanded he tell him who it was that had hurt him. Never being able to lie to Fili without his brother seeing right through him, Kili had told him, and that dwarf had given him a wide berth ever since. He did not want to know what Fili had done to him, but he was glad that he didn't have to look over his shoulder when he went out alone.

He had also been subject to ridicule by dwarf lasses. He had decided to ask a rather pretty dwarf lass if she would court him, and she had laughed in his face and declared loud enough for all of the people in the busy marketplace to hear, including several of her friends, that there was no way in all of Arda that she would court a dwarf who had less of a beard than she did. Mortified, Kili had turn red faced in shame and fled the market, only for his brother to find him that evening up in a tree outside the gate, eyes red and puffy from crying. Fili had helped him get down, and sat with him on the ground, his arm wrapped around his shoulder, until the sun began to set, then convinced him to come home before it grew dark.

Kili had not dared to enter the market again for a month for fear of ridicule. He had spent a lot of time in that month training with his bow in the archery training room, unable to forget the laughing he had heard as he had fled the market, barely able to hold the tears at bay until he had left the mountain halls. Ever since then, he had not dared to ask any lass in the Blue Mountains if she would court him or dance with him at celebrations, and no dwarf lass ever bothered to even give him a second look, vying instead for his brother's attentions. Kili sometimes wondered if Fili's decision to not court anyone had partially been influenced by the rejection his brother had suffered. He had talked to Fili once about it, but Fili insisted that it was not because of him. Kili had been unconvinced, but he could not force his brother to court, and the matter had been dropped.

So why was this girl not only willing to protect him, but risk dying for him? It didn't make any sense to him, and the more he thought about it, the less sense it made. He felt a hand on his arm, and his arm stilled as he looked for its owner. Fili looked up at him from his perch on the floor next to the lounge.

"If you keep trying to sharpen your knife like that, it will become useless," he said softly. Kili looked at the knife in his hand and saw the unevenness of his sharpening job. He sighed and put his knife away. He would resharpen it in the morning.

He looked around, and was surprised to see that most of the company had gone inside their room. He could hear loud snoring coming from their bedchamber and figured it was coming from Bombur, who had a tendency to keep the others from being able to sleep on the worst nights because of it.

_How long had he been lost in thought?_

Fili looked up at him and their eyes met. Kili knew that his brother could read him like a book. He always had been able to. Fili's eyes softened.

"Something is bothering you," he stated. It was an observation, not a question. Kili nodded, and looked at his hands resting in his lap. He felt Fili's hand leave his arm and the end of the lounge dip down. He looked up to see Fili sitting at the end of it, and he swung his legs out so he was sitting shoulder to shoulder with his brother.

"It's about what happened today, isn't it?" Fili asked softly, searching his brother's face. Kili nodded, swallowing hard. Fili merely sat and waited for his brother to tell him what was wrong. Years of experience had taught him that Kili would only speak when he was ready, and that all pushing did was make him refuse to talk. After a few moments of gazing out upon the valley as the moon slowly rose, Kili began to speak. Fili listened quietly as his brother confided in him.

"Why did she do it?" Kili asked, "why did she save me?" Fili looked lost as he shook his head.

"I don't know, brother," he replied. "Maybe it was because you carried her when the wargs chased us." Kili shook his head.

"I don't think so," he said, then remembered how confused he had been that she had seemed to know what's going on before it happened. "She seemed to know what was going to happen before it did. It was so strange. She was so frightened of us in the cave, and could barely walk, and yet she ran with us from the wargs instead of the other way." Fili nodded, his face showing the same puzzlement Kili felt.

"And when we were backed up to that rock, she fought me hard and even punched me in the chest until I put her down, then moved away from me," he continued, "it was almost as if she knew that the orc and warg were coming and that I would have to shoot them." Fili shared another puzzled look with him.

"And while you were shooting the wargs, she refused to get into the hole," Fili added, then looked his brother in the eye. "She refused to take her eyes off you, and when Bofur and Thorin tried to make her get in, she wouldn't. It was as though she knew you were going to trip and fall."

Kili nodded, and looked at his lap again. Fili leaned his head back against the wall and sighed, then got down and knelt in front of Kili. Kili looked up in surprise as his brother's eyes filled with tears.

"_I thought I was going to lose you_, _Kildár,_" he whispered, speaking Khuzdul and using Kili's inner name. "_I thought I was going to have to watch you die, and not be able to do anything about it-not be able to save you."_

The tears streamed down Fili's face, and Kili got off the lounge and knelt in front of his distraught brother, placing his hands on his shoulders. He leaned in and gently touched their foreheads together, and Kili looked in his brother's eyes.

"_It was not your fault, Filán,"_ he replied, tears welling up in his own eyes. "_I was clumsy, and I wasn't watching where I was going. It is_ my_ fault, not yours. Please don't blame yourself, brother."_

_"How could I not blame myself? I failed to protect you. I failed to protect my younger brother, and he almost paid with his life,"_ Fili stated, voice wavering and his shoulders shaking as he tried to hold back his sobs.

"We both failed." Both lads started as Thorin emerged from the shadows, his shoulders slumped as though he bore a great burden. Both young men looked at each other confused, wondering how long Thorin had been standing there. He came to kneel down in front of the two, and held his arms open.

And for a brief moment, he was not their King. He was their "Uncle Towin", who chased the monsters out from under their beds, who held them when their father died, and who let them crawl into his bed when they were terrified of the lightning storms, shaking and shivering as they argued about whether or not Fili was actually scared or whether he was just there because Kili was, and Thorin knew better as he felt _both_ boys shaking next to him.

Fili and Kili looked at each other, before lunging into Thorin's embrace, burrowing their faces in his tunic. He wrapped his arms around each of them as their shoulders shook with suppressed sobs.

XXX

For a few minutes, he contemplated on whether or not he should send them home. They were still so young and inexperienced, and today had been the first time they had truly faced danger. (Like Kili, he preferred to forget that the troll incident ever happened). Today, for the first time, the reality hit them that they may very well die on this quest. And it terrified both of them. He almost regretted chastising them on the cliffside the other night when they had joked about orc raids to scare Bilbo, but now he wondered if they had simply been trying to laugh off what may have been a very real fear in their minds.

He knew that they could not possibly have truly known how dangerous this quest would be. But some part of him had hoped that they would have been right and that they would not encounter danger until they reached the mountain. But today had proven his concerns to be valid, and he too may have been guilty of slightly underestimating the danger involved. Today, for the first time, the very real thought that his nephews could die on this quest had entered his mind the moment Kili fell. For the first time since their father's death, he had watched those he held dear to him nearly get killed. And the fact that it had been an injured woman who saved his nephew instead of him made him feel even worse.

He looked down at both of them, their tears lessening and their mouths yawning. No, despite the danger he could not send them home. They had already come quite far, and to send them back home now would bring them shame. He honestly was a little bit afraid that if he sent them home, they would just end up turning around and following them. And he would much rather have them protected by the company than on their own with the possibility of orcs on their trail.

What he could hope for was that they had learned an invaluable lesson today, and they would be far more cautious in the future. And he hoped that Kili would be very careful to watch his step from now on. For he could not bear to stand there again while his nephews were in danger and know that he could not reach them in time to save them.

The very thought alone was terrifying.


	8. Chapter 8

_**I do not own any of the characters or the Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC) those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reull Tolkien, and without his genius, this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.**_

_**Please review! I love getting them-they keep me encouraged! J**_

After Fili and Kili's sobbing had quieted, Thorin nudged them with his shoulders. He got two soft snores in return, and shook his head, sighing. Despite the reason for their anxiety he couldn't help but smile a bit at the fact that, no matter if they were full grown or not, they could still fall asleep in his arms as easily as when they had been tiny dwarflings, though they weren't quite as cute as they used to be.

_And they are much bigger than they used to be too_, he thought to himself with a chuckle as he shifted to allow blood to flow back into his now numb arms. Some of his own anxiety had dissipated as he had held the two lads, reassuring himself that yes they were alive and unharmed. For the first time in twenty four hours, his nephews' faces looked calm and peaceful.

_Well, as calm and peaceful as they could be, despite the fact that they are drooling on my coat, _he chuckled to himself.

He knew better than to say anything the next morning, however. Fili and Kili would never forgive him if it became known to the company that they had cried themselves to sleep in their uncle's arms like tiny dwarflings, and for that matter, _he_ would never hear the end of it from Dwalin if it had been found that the dwarf King actually had a soft side to him.

As he began to wonder how in Mahal's name he was supposed to get these two dead weight unconscious dwarves to their beds, he heard a shuffling behind him and the sound of someone clearing their throat. He jumped a bit, startled at the unexpected presence, and turned his head to glare at the intruder who had caught him off guard.

Bilbo had been standing there for far longer than Thorin knew, thanking the stars above that he was at least _one_ of the things Gandalf had said back in Bag End. He may not be a burglar, nor a warrior, but he could indeed move stealthily and quietly in the quiet manner that his race possessed. He had felt like he was witnessing something he shouldn't, seeing Thorin's gruff exterior melt away and hold his hurting nephews with all the love a father (or in this case uncle as a father figure) could show.

He had also noticed the tears that had threatened to spill from Thorin's face, but recognized the same look that many a hobbit has shown when they were just as frightened as their young ones, and the same resolve to blink them away for the sake of the child they were comforting. He had been held the same way when his mother and father had died during the Fell Winter, and thinking back on it, he thought he could remember his Aunt's face with the same expression that Thorin's had a few minutes ago.

When he saw Thorin try to get up unsuccessfully, he realized that, even if he could not be seen from his current position, he most certainly was in the way, and there was very little chance Thorin would not see him if the dwarf moved. Plus, it looked as though the two lads were out cold, and since everyone else was asleep (and he had learned very quickly on the quest to stand a good distance away and throw something at the dwarves to wake them, when Dwalin had nearly shaved his feet with his axe as he had tried to wake him one morning) he knew that he was the only one who could help Thorin in his current predicament. And, from his vantage point, it certainly looked as though the dwarf king was pinned.

Thorin sighed, knowing that he had been caught, and decided that he was going to make the hobbit absolutely certain that, if he were to divulge the events of the past half hour, he was going to be two feet shorter. Bilbo shifted uncomfortably on his feet as Kili slumped over onto Thorin's lap with a loud snore, further pinning him against the pillar he was backed up against.

"Er, um, Thorin," Bilbo began, but stopped short as Thorin sent him a death glare.

"Burglar, if you tell _anyone_ what happened here, I swear on Mahal's name I will slice you in half and feed you to the dragon myself," Thorin growled. Bilbo gulped, and nodded. He gestured to the sleeping dwarves.

"Do you, that is, would you like a little help getting them inside?" he asked, stuttering a bit, still flustered at Thorin's previous threat. And from the look on the dwarf king's face, Bilbo had no doubt that he fully meant his threat. Thorin was about to reply that he could take care of his own nephews, thank you very much, when Fili's arm suddenly wrapped around Thorin's throat. The dwarf coughed as his windpipe was struck rather hard in the process. Fili settled into Thorin's shoulder and continued snoring lightly. Thorin closed his eyes and reached up to pinch his thumb and forefinger on the bridge of his nose, sighing loudly.

"Burglar, do you think you could at least push Kili off of my lap?" he asked, giving Bilbo a skeptical look. He honestly doubted that the hobbit was strong enough to move these two deadweights, but Bilbo nodded. He went up to Kili and grabbed his arm, pulling for all he was worth, but the dwarf just mumbled angrily and yanked it away from him, punching Thorin in the solar plexus before fisting into his tunic. The elder dwarf doubled over a bit as the air left his lungs.

_That's it, _Thorin thought, no longer caring if he woke them up at this point. He grabbed Fili's arm and yanked it off his throat, his elbow pushing the dwarf backwards onto the floor. Fili woke with a yelp, rubbing his back where it hit the floor.

"Ow!" He looked at his uncle in confusion, rubbing his eyes and yawning, before flushing a deep red as he realized he had cried himself to sleep on his uncle.

"Uncle, I-I'm," he stuttered, the flush getting deeper as he fumbled for words in his embarrassment.

"Never mind that!" Thorin snapped. Fili's eyes went wide, and his face looked as though it had been struck. Thorin mentally berated himself, sighing. In a gentler voice, he asked, "Would you _please _help me get your brother off of me?"

Fili nodded and immediately went up to Kili and began to help Bilbo lift him up. Bilbo stood back and let the two dwarves move the sleeping Kili off of his uncle, and decided to go ahead and go to bed quickly before the dwarf king remembered he had witnessed their family moment.

Kili mumbled and swatted Fili's hands away, but his brother continued trying to move him. Thorin had managed to scoot out from underneath him, and was now working to get his nephew's hand to release his tunic. Finally, they got Kili untangled from his uncle, and Thorin stood up. They looked at the young dwarf curled up on the floor, and eyed each other.

"Um, uncle? How are we supposed to get him to bed without waking him?" Fili asked. Thorin shook his head.

"Somehow I doubt anything would wake him at this point if he hasn't awakened already," Thorin answered, rolling his eyes. Fili smiled a bit, and they reached down to pick him up. Thorin tucked his hands under the lad's arms while Fili took Kili's legs, and they picked him up and began to make their way to the bedchamber. Kili stirred, before his eyes flew open and he began to kick and shove, not really awake yet. The force of his fighting caused both Thorin and Fili to drop him, neither expecting it. Kili hit the ground with a loud thud and focus returned to his eyes.

"Ow!" he repeated Fili's comment from earlier, rubbing the back of his head as he sat up. Suddenly noticing where he was, he also mimicked his brother and flushed deeply.

"Uncle, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to—" the words rushed out of his mouth, before his uncle held up a hand to silence him.

"It's fine, both of you," he said, "Just go get some rest. It has been a long day."

Fili reached a hand down and helped his brother up, and the three went into the sleeping chambers, yawning and rubbing their eyes. Thorin subtly nursed the beginning of a bruise on his abdomen and along his neck. His nephews were far stronger in their sleep than they realized.

They lay down in their beds, Fili and Kili facing each other after pushing their mattresses together. They had always shared a bed, neither being able to sleep unless the other was near.

"_I won't fail you again brother,"_ Fili whispered in Khuzdul.

"_Nor I you, my brother,"_ Kili replied, before the two of them fell fast asleep.

XXX

Kili woke up restless in the middle of the night. He looked around the room, but everyone was still sleeping soundly. He saw the moon shining through the doorway that led to their balcony. The moon was slightly less than full, it being their third night in Rivendell. He could hear the slight chirping of the crickets mingling with the roar of the waterfalls, but otherwise, aside from the dwarves snoring, all was quiet.

Thorin had decided that they would accept Lord Elrond's offer to remain in Rivendell, at least until the girl woke up. He was loath to stay longer than necessary, both because he was eager to continue on their quest and because he did not want to be around the elves any longer than necessary. But, because of the blood debt owed, he felt honor bound to stay at least long enough to thank her for what she had done, and ensure that she would be able to travel to the nearest village of men.

He had been very angry when the white wizard had tried to dissuade them from their quest, and after badgering, he had finally decided to just make as though they would turn back, before continuing on. Gandalf had secretly agreed, saying that he and another member of their council believed that their quest was right, despite the white wizard's insistence on abandoning the quest. Gandalf also said that he would try to make sure that the dwarves, when they did decide to leave, could leave in secrecy while he prayed for time so that they could continue on. Thorin had been unhappy about it, but in the end he had to acquiesce to Gandalf's plan, knowing that, thanks to the debt, he did not have any choice in the matter.

Kili laid there staring at the ceiling as his thoughts again drifted to the girl. She was still unconscious, but it appeared that the elven healing she had received had been working, and there was no sign of infection. Oin had, with Lord Elrond's permission, examined her wounds himself and approved of what Lord Elrond had done. He was not familiar with Kingsfoil being used for healing, but remarked that it hadn't seemed to harm her at all, and it had seemed to keep any potential infection at bay. So now all they needed to do was wait until her body had replaced enough blood for her to awaken.

Kili hated the waiting. He had never been the most patient dwarf, and he was still very confused by what she had done. He had gone over each possibility in his head, sometimes with Fili, and was still no closer to a reason. The one reason that had made the most sense was that she had helped him because he had carried her. But that action alone didn't seem enough to justify saving his life by risking hers. At least, that is what the brothers believed. But they wouldn't find out for certain until she woke.

_If she even speaks to us,_ Kili thought, _she only spoke two words since we found her, and they were both in Khuzdul. _

That was another thing that was bothering Kili. If she was a dwarf, why didn't she have a beard? And if she wasn't, how did she know Khuzdul? Neither brother had come up with a solution to that question either. It left Kili very puzzled. Tossing and turning, trying unsuccessfully to get comfortable again, he laid back down on his back and sighed at the ceiling in frustration.

Fili seemed to be unaware of his sleeplessness, snoring blissfully away as one arm hung off the side of the mattress and the other was around his pillow, which was currently pinned under him. His mouth hung open, and his mustache braids kept blowing with each exhale. Kili sighed again, before giving up his quest for sleep.

Quietly, so as not to disturb his brother, he slid out from under his blankets. Tugging on his boots and his jerkin, he reached over and grabbed his bow. He stood up and quietly made for the balcony, glad that Thorin had deemed watches no longer necessary with them being able to lock and barricade the door.

He stepped out onto the balcony, and leaned over. The ground was a little ways down, and there were sturdy vines twisting up the pillars on each side, winding around the elf maidens carved into the white marble. He guessed the distance to be about ten feet from the balcony railing to the ground.

Casting a glance over his shoulder, he quickly leapt over the railing, landing deftly on the grass below. He stood up from his crouch, looking around. He began to make his way toward a set of stairs that led into the halls, about one hundred and thirty feet from where he was standing. He didn't notice any guards on the stairs, and he stepped as lightly as a dwarf could.

He made his way down the hall until he found the long stairwell that led up toward where the girl's room was. The hallways were lit by low lamps, casting shadows about them. But the aura of this place was not one of fear, but of peace. Though Kili kept his eyes and ears open, he did not find himself afraid, merely cautious as he headed closer and closer to the healing rooms.

Rounding the last corner, he could see the valley lit by the bright moon through arched openings in the wall to the east. The moonlight danced off the waterfalls similar to the way the sunlight did during the day. The trees reflected in the rivers below as they joined the larger river flowing eastward, and fireflies danced around in the night.

For an elven valley, Kili thought it rather pretty. He had always enjoyed the outdoors slightly more than most dwarves, and could find beauty in things many dwarves could not. However, he told few about it, for fear of more ridicule. Fili understood, being one of the few he told, and they had many "adventures" in the woods outside of Thorin's halls when they were growing up.

But he didn't sneak out of their chambers because he admired the scenery. He continued to make his way to the door where the girl was recovering from her wounds. There were no guards that he saw, though he was confident that they were there and just out of his sight. He reached for the doorknob and turned it, opening the door slowly and quietly.

The girl's room was softly lit by two candles, one on each small table by the head of the bed. Since it was a healing room, it actually had real glass windows instead of open arches to help prevent the breeze from disturbing the patients, though they could be opened. Kili started as he saw movement to his left, and reached for his bow out of instinct. A female elf stood from her chair. He recognized her as one of the many healers in the room from the day before. He shouldered his bow.

"How is she?" he asked quietly, moving toward the foot of the bed. He looked at the sleeping girl, and for the first time really looked at her. Her face was no longer ashen, though it was still pale, and Kili could finally see her whole face. Her red-brown curls fanned out on her pillow, framing a face with a small nose that was rounded at the end. He saw long eyelashes curled on the top of her cheeks, which were slightly red. She had slightly full brownish pink lips, and no beard that he could see. He could see her ear as well, and it was rounded and tiny, whereas dwarves have larger ears than humans.

_So she is a human then,_ he thought to himself, _at least she is not an elf._ It may have solved one mystery, but it created more questions.

_Why would a _human_ girl save the life of a dwarf? Humans scorn dwarves, unless they have need of their services or wares, _he thought. He turned his attention to the elf, who answered his question.

"She is still unconscious, master dwarf," the healer replied, "but she is healing well."

"Are you sure she hasn't awakened yet?" Kili replied, one eyebrow slightly raised.

"She has had a healer in here with her at all times, and Lord Elrond checks in on her frequently during the daytime. If she had woken, he would have been informed, and your kin as well," she replied, returning to her seat. She eyed the dwarf warily as he pulled up a chair next to the bedside and sat down. The room was silent for a moment, and then the healer's voice sounded, making Kili jump a bit.

"What brings you to her chamber in the middle of the night, if I may ask?" the healer asked him warily, "Is she your kin?" Kili shook his head.

"No, she is not my kin," he replied, wondering why the elf asked him. He was sure it was rather strange for her to have a visitor at night, though Thorin had insisted on at least one of the company keeping an eye on her at all times.

Bilbo had even sat with her reading some of the books he had found in Lord Elrond's library, claiming that perhaps she could hear him, and maybe it would help her feel better. Thorin had scoffed at that, until Oin had said it couldn't hurt, and that he had heard stories of people waking up from unconsciousness that way. Thorin had acquiesced, deciding that if the hobbit wished to sit with her and read, then that was _his_ business.

Thorin insisted on the company staying together at night, however, since Gandalf had offered to sleep in the room next to hers so that he could keep an eye on her instead of the dwarves (more for ensuring that _he_ got some rest, because he knew that if the dwarves interacted with the elves without him there to intervene if necessary things may get out of hand. And he trusted Elrond, so he did not worry if he was sleeping when he was "supposed" to be keeping watch over the girl, and this way everyone got their rest). Thorin had wanted Gandalf to actually be _in _the room with her, but the wizard assured him that his hearing was excellent even in sleep and that if there was trouble he would be in there in half a second. Thorin didn't like it, but finally agreed, as long as the door that joined the rooms is kept open. Gandalf had rolled his eyes at that, and gone off muttering about stubborn dwarves.

Kili noticed the door was shut, but he wisely decided that was between Thorin and Gandalf, and he did not want to get in the middle of their arguments. The girl seemed safe enough, and since he was here he didn't deem it necessary for both him and Gandalf to lose sleep. The healer spoke, distracting Kili from his thoughts again.

"Why are you here then if she is not your kin? Your friends have been here during the day, but I was told Mithrandir would be the one to keep an eye on her at night," the healer asked, looking at the dwarf suspiciously. Kili looked back at her, wondering why she was asking him all these questions.

"Does it matter why? I am not going to hurt her," he replied defensively. He glared at the elf, crossing his arms over his chest. The elf stared back, then suddenly her eyes lit up as realization dawned on her face. She smiled knowingly, confusing Kili. _Why was she smiling like that?_ He wondered, not sure what to make of the change in her expression.

"Ah, I understand now," she said, winking at Kili, who was becoming even more baffled at the elf's expressions. _Was he missing something?_ He looked at the girl, who was still resting peacefully, the confused expression still on his face.

"Don't worry, master dwarf. If you wish to be with your betrothed in secret, I won't tell anyone, as long as you do nothing improper," she said, smiling. Kili's head shot up, eyes wide as he gaped at her. His cheeks flushed a deep red as his mouth opened and closed, but no words came out.

_Wh-what did she just say? B-but I-I'm not…_

"B-but I'm not… she's not… we-we're not betrothed!" the stunned dwarf finally sputtered out, "She just got hurt rescuing me!" and then his face reddened even further as he realized he just admitted to an elf that he had needed rescuing by a woman. The elf simply smiled knowingly, and shrugged.

"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me," she said, eyes sparkling with amusement.

"B-but," Kili stuttered, but the elf just winked at him again and went into a small room off to the side to prepare some medicine. He thought he heard some slight shuffling in the adjoining room, but was too flustered to pay it any mind.

Kili groaned, leaning forward to put his head in his hands in frustration. He could feel his ears and neck heat up as well as he thought of the elf's insinuation, and cursed her under his breath, not caring if she heard. He could only hope that she would keep her gossiping mouth to herself, for if this incorrect rumor began to spread, he would surely die of embarrassment. He still felt the sting from the last time he had experienced rejection, and the self doubts that had plagued him then began to reappear.

_Maybe coming here had been a bad idea_, he thought to himself.

XXX

Suddenly, Kili heard a slight moan, and his head snapped up, all embarrassment forgotten as the girl's eyelashes fluttered, before squeezing tightly shut as a soft groan emitted from her.

"Healer!" he cried, "Healer, she's waking up!" He jumped out of his chair, and wasn't sure whether to get the healer or keep an eye on her. The healer rushed back into the room and to the other side of the bed and laid a hand on the girl's shoulders as her eyes fluttered open. Her eyes widened, and she began to scream and struggle, but the healer's hands held her down.

Kili had been unaware that Gandalf had entered the room until he pushed the healer aside and laid his hand across the girl's forehead. She immediately began to calm, and fell back into unconsciousness. He looked at the healer, and said, "Go get Lord Elrond!" She nodded and left the room in a hurry.

XXX

Only after the healer left did Gandalf finally notice the dwarf across the bed from him. If he was surprised to see Kili here in the middle of the night, he didn't show it. Kili swallowed, and looked down at the floor, allowing his hair to partially conceal his face before looking up at the wizard.

"I couldn't sleep, so I thought I would check on her," Kili said, hoping the wizard hadn't overheard the conversation five minutes ago, and felt his cheeks grow warm again. He was very grateful for the low light of the two candles. Gandalf didn't seem to notice his discomfort and merely nodded.

"To be honest, young Kili, I was surprised you waited this long," he replied. The dwarf looked up at him in confusion, wondering what he meant. _Why can't anyone around speak in a way that makes sense?_

Gandalf must have seen the questioning in Kili's face, for he continued, "You have never met this girl before the troll cave, I gather?" Kili shook his head, wondering what the wizard was getting at, and hoping, no _praying_ that he would not arrive at the same ridiculous conclusion as the elf.

Gandalf leaned on his staff, and explained, "You have never seen her before, and none of your kin have seen her before, though she seems to know at least who Thorin is. And yet, she jumps in front of a warg to save you from certain death, nearly dying herself." The wizard looked at him thoughtfully. Kili met his gaze, and looked away, swallowing the lump in his throat.

"Like I said, I am not surprised you are here, though I do wonder what took you so long," Gandalf asked, "You have many questions, I am sure." Kili nodded, then looked at the hands in his lap.

"Why did she do it, Gandalf?" he whispered, looking up at the grey wizard, "Why did she save me?"

"Why does anyone do such things?" Gandalf responded, and Kili groaned again.

"Why does everyone around here speak in riddles?" Kili replied testily. He had certainly had enough of them for tonight. Gandalf chuckled as the dwarf hunched in his chair with his arms crossed in front of him, looking very much like a pouting dwarfling as he glared at the wizard.

"I suppose because it can make sense, if one is good at solving them," he replied, the twinkle still in his eye, "But as to why she did what she did, I am afraid I do not know any more than you do." Kili sighed, and looked at the girl, then back at Gandalf.

"Why did she wake up screaming like she did?" he asked. Gandalf cast a concerned glance over to the girl, then looked back at the dwarf.

"It is pretty common for someone who fell unconscious during a battle to wake up and be disoriented," he replied. "She doesn't know where she is, nor does she remember being brought here, and she could have thought that she was still surrounded by wargs on the plain." Kili nodded in understanding. He was about to ask Gandalf what he did to calm her down, when Lord Elrond burst into the room.

XXX

Lord Elrond immediately approached the bed, and checked the girl's pulse. Kili moved against the wall as he had been ordered to do when they were healing her that first day. Lord Elrond spoke some words in elvish to Gandalf, then turned toward the woman healer.

"Send for Lord Thorin. He was to be notified when the girl awakened," he instructed in Westron. The healer nodded and left immediately. Lord Elrond then turned toward Gandalf.

"How long will your calming spell last?" he asked.

"Not long," he replied, "I merely sought to calm her knowing you would arrive soon." Lord Elrond nodded. He went to check her bandages, and Kili turned around out of courtesy. He startled a little as Lord Elrond addressed him, not realizing that the elf had indeed noted his presence.

"It's all right, Prince Kili. I am not removing her bandages. I am simply making sure her wounds didn't reopen," Lord Elrond reassured, "She will not be indecent." Kili turned back around, and silently wondered if there was any possible way for him to sneak out of the room and return to the dwarves' bedchamber before Thorin arrived, but realized he only knew the one way to get back, and would run into Thorin on the way. He hoped that he would not get in trouble for slipping out in the middle of the night.

"It appears that her wounds are fine," Lord Elrond pronounced, drawing the blanket back up.

"She is healed?" Kili asked, surprised. He would have thought such an injury would take longer to heal, especially with the amount of blood loss she had.

"Not quite," Lord Elrond replied, "She is healing nicely, but I merely meant that her wounds had not reopened during her struggle." Gandalf and Kili nodded. They heard footsteps, and turned as the door was opened and the healer and Thorin strode in.

Thorin glanced at Kili, not seeming surprised to see that he was there. _The healer must have told him I was, _Kili thought. But the look Thorin gave him told Kili that his uncle would definitely be having words with him about his midnight excursion. He sincerely hoped the healer hadn't told him the _other_ part of their conversation.

XXX

"I thought you said the girl was awake," Thorin asked gruffly. He never was a morning person, and being awakened unexpectedly in the middle of the night when he didn't have watch wasn't much better. However, he had told them to inform him immediately if she woke. He just hadn't expected it to be still dark when she did.

"She was," Gandalf replied, "But she was very disoriented. She kept screaming and thrashing so I put a calming spell on her to keep her from injuring herself further. But she should be coming around soon."

As if the wizard somehow had the power of foresight, the girl began to stir again. Gandalf and Lord Elrond positioned themselves on either side of the bed, prepared to intervene in case she panicked again. Thorin and the female healer stood at the end of the bed, and Kili hung off to the side, not quite sure what to do.

Her eyelashes fluttered, before popping open. She bolted upright, and cried out in pain as she wrapped her arm around her middle. Lord Elrond and Gandalf caught her shoulders and laid her back down. Her breathing was fast, but her eyes weren't as unfocused as they had been. They darted from Lord Elrond to Gandalf, to Thorin, and back, and she tried to scoot backwards, but stopped as her face scrunched up in pain. Her face suddenly went very pale and she shut her eyes, swallowing repeatedly.

Lord Elrond had been a healer long enough to see when someone was going to be sick, and immediately thrust a basin under her chin, and she promptly threw up in it. It was mostly bile, and her lips were cracked and bleeding slightly from dehydration. She laid back when she was done, and Lord Elrond ordered the healer to bring him a pain draught in some lukewarm tea. She went into the small room off to the side, and the four looked at the girl.

She was lying on her back, face still scrunched up in pain. She curled in on herself, groaning loudly, still clutching at her abdomen. The healer reappeared with the tea, and handed it to Lord Elrond. He put his arm around her shoulder and leaned her up, placing the cup next to her lips. She managed to drink a couple sips, before collapsing back onto the bed in exhaustion. Her eyes shut for a few moments, before they opened back up to gaze up at Lord Elrond.

Thorin moved to stand next to the elf, and Lord Elrond backed up, allowing the dwarf to approach the girl. She saw him and shut her eyes again, before looking back up at the dwarf king. Pain still echoed in her features. Thorin crossed his arms over his chest.

"Who are you?" he asked the girl, "And what in Durin's name did you think you were doing, jumping in front of a bloody warg with only a dagger?!"


	9. Chapter 9

_**I do not own any of the characters or the Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC) those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reull Tolkien, and without his genius, this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.**_

_**Please review! I love getting them-they keep me encouraged! J**_

_**Note- I apologize that it has been a few days since I updated. The last couple of days have been crazy busy and sleep has eluded me, making me very tired. So I hope this chapter doesn't stink. But here it is, and thanks to all who have reviewed and favorite and followed- it has made my muses very happy J**_

The girl's eyes widened at the question, and she shrank back from Thorin as her eyes flew from him to the others in the room. She grimaced a bit as the slight movement caused pain once more, although she could feel it lessening a bit. Her mind was still very hazy as she tried to remember what happened, and she wasn't quite sure where she was at. It was as though there were glimpses in her mind like the pieces of the puzzle, but she could not seem to connect any of them. She had the distinct feeling that she should know these people and she should know where she was at, but her mind was drawing a blank. Exhaustion like she had never felt before seemed to be enveloping her, and she was fighting to keep her eyes open.

Thorin stared at her, his demeanor clearly demanding an explanation for her reckless behavior. He didn't seem to notice the slight panic and questioning in her eyes as they flew to him, around the room, then back again. Gandalf, however, could see the fear and confusion, and decided to intervene.

"Thorin, the poor girl is exhausted and confused I am sure. She doesn't seem to know where she is, and she may not remember much about what happened. Besides, it is the middle of the night, and I am sure we _all_ could use some sleep," he said, hoping Thorin would change his mind and question her when it was daylight and she had some time to sort things out (and when they were all rested and less short tempered). Lord Elrond nodded in agreement.

"She has just awakened after three days of unconsciousness, Lord Thorin," he added, "She is still very weak, and now may not be the best time to seek answers to your questions."

Thorin sighed, as the girl's eyelids kept fluttering closed, only for her to start and her eyes to open again.

"Very well," he replied, "But I will be expecting answers in the morning." He gestured toward Kili to follow him, and headed out the door. Kili glanced once more at the now sleeping girl, who had lost her battle to the pain drought, and followed his uncle reluctantly. He was not looking forward to the lecture he knew he was going to receive.

XXX

Dawn came with the chirping of birds and the warm summer breeze filtering through the slightly open windows. Cirashala stirred, eyes fluttering open. They shut again as she groaned, before flying open. She quickly sat up, grabbing her middle as the sudden movement caused pain. She looked around the room in confusion. There were intricate tapestries on the walls, and leaves and vines carved into the trim. She heard the distinct sound of rushing water coming through the windows, and through them she beheld the beautiful elven valley of Imladris.

_Rivendell?! How did I end up here?_ She thought. The memories flooded back to her in a flash- the accident, the funeral, waking up in Trollshaw forest, Kili and Fili finding her in the cave, being chased by the wargs, seeing Kili fall, horrible pain surging through her, the sounding of Elrond's hosts' horn, then darkness.

She vaguely recalled the feeling of someone putting pressure on her abdomen, and hearing raised voices, but she couldn't remember anything at all after that. Her mouth and lips felt very dry, and there was a strange taste in her mouth. It wasn't a bad one, more like the taste of a strange yet pleasant tea.

Vague recollections of Elrond placing a cup to her mouth, and Thorin standing over her came into her mind.

_The tea must have had some medicine in it that helped with the pain, but also put me to sleep, _she thought. She had had trouble sleeping for several years now, and was quite used to the slightly groggy feeling of waking up after taking sleep aids. She looked up as an elf woman entered her room from a small room off to the side. The she-elf smiled at her.

"Good morning," she said in Westron, before approaching the bed with a steaming cup in her hand.

"I am Hûredhiel," she continued, "I am a healer. You are in the house of Lord Elrond." She held out the cup toward Cirashala. "This is tea with a pain drought in it. It will help lessen your pain and make you feel a bit better." Cirashala took the cup with shaky hands and eyed the steaming liquid, before attempting to take a small sip.

She cried out and jerked her head back as she brought her hand to her mouth. Hûredhiel quickly grabbed the cup before she could spill it. She looked at Cirashala apologetically.

"Forgive me, young miss. I did not realize it would be too hot for you," she apologized. Cirashala nodded. Hûredhiel took the cup and hurried back into the side room, before emerging a few moments later with a much cooler tea. Cirashala accepted it gratefully. She tested it with a small sip first to make sure it was cool enough. She had never been able to stand tea that was boiling hot, and always added enough cool water to make it a little more than lukewarm. She looked up at the healer.

"W-will this m-make me sleep?" she stuttered in a whisper, her voice extremely scratchy from dehydration and non use. Hûredhiel shook her head.

"No, this one will not make you sleep," she replied, "we only give patients those when it is nighttime or when they really need to sleep." Cirashala nodded, and continued sipping very slowly, unsure if her nauseous stomach would be willing to accept the tea. She felt a little sick to her stomach, and reached the shaking cup out to the healer.

"I-I can't finish it," she whispered. The healer nodded.

"That is to be expected when one has been unconscious for three days," she said. Cirashala stared at her in alarm.

"I-it's been _three_ days?" she asked, her voice hinting at slight panic. The healer looked a little confused.

"Yes, it has," she replied, looking at her curiously. "You were very badly injured. Lord Elrond is somewhat surprised you woke up this quickly with how much blood you lost. Is there something wrong?"

"But t-the dwarves? Are they s-still here?" she asked her. Hûredhiel nodded. Cirashala let the breath she had been holding out, and sank into her pillow with relief. She shut her eyes against the dizziness she felt, and tried her best to fight the nausea that increased with her sudden anxiety. She was afraid she had been left behind in Thorin's eagerness to reach the mountain.

"I will send for Lord Thorin. He tried to speak to you last night, but you were too exhausted," Hûredhiel said, "I will also send for Lord Elrond. He was to be informed when you awakened this morning. Will you be all right for a few minutes by yourself?" Cirashala nodded, laying her head back. She glanced to the table, and saw a small bowl. She could reach it if she needed to.

XXX

After Thorin and Kili had returned to the dwarves' room, Thorin had pulled him aside out on the balcony. Kili gulped, afraid of the lecture he knew he would receive. He hung his head and looked at the floor, waiting for Thorin to speak.

"Kili, what were you thinking going up to her room in the middle of the night?" Thorin asked sternly. Kili gulped.

"I-I couldn't sleep," he answered.

"So you take it upon yourself to sneak out of our room without telling anyone, and walk through this place _alone_? Have I taught you _nothing _about elves? Why would you do such a reckless thing?" Thorin crossed his arms, and waited for his nephew to answer. Kili shifted in his boots, and swallowed hard.

"I-I cannot stop wondering why she did what she did. Why she saved my life, even though I don't know her or anything about her," Kili replied.

"And what were you thinking asking aid of the elves in the first place? Do you even _realize_ the danger you put yourself, and this girl, through? What if the elves had taken you both prisoner? What if they had tried to harm you or the girl? You could have gotten the both of you killed!" Thorin was almost roaring now, and the only thing stopping him was the other eleven dwarves and hobbit who were sleeping in the adjoining chamber. This tension had built up over the course of the three days, with Thorin having set it aside due to the concern over the girl's condition, but now that she was awake, he was fully reminded of the events from three days ago.

"I-I didn't mean to endanger us. The elves, they-they didn't seem so bad. They helped her and they n-never harmed me and I—" Kili swallowed, seeing the hard, angry look his uncle was giving him, and looked away, feeling tears of shame prick at the corners of his eyes. He blinked them away, not wishing for his uncle to see his weakness. He felt foolish for having let his guard down and being so willing to trust the elves, even though he knew the girl's life had depended on it. His uncle was right-he knew nothing of the world. He should have just let Gandalf and Thorin work it out and not interfered.

He continued, voice wavering slightly. "Forgive me uncle. I should never have gone without telling anyone, and I never should have defied you by asking the elves for aid," he replied hesitantly, looking up at his uncle. "It was my fault she got hurt. I-I just didn't want her to die," he whispered, feeling like a young, insecure dwarfling again as he looked down at his boots and awaited his punishment.

Thorin looked at the despondent lad before him, and sighed in exasperation. He couldn't deny that he was rather curious about the girl's motives as well, but Kili's actions had been very reckless. He could not have known whether or not the elves would keep their word or take him prisoner and kill him, and yet he went with them willingly, potentially putting both his and the girl's lives in danger. Thorin grudgingly acknowledged that the elves had surprised him and treated them fairly well, despite the obvious undercurrent of distrust and differences between the two races. In that, Kili had been very fortunate.

And, much to his chagrin, Gandalf had been correct in thinking they would need Lord Elrond's help with the map. And, as much as Thorin hated to admit it, Kili had been right in doing what he did by aiding the girl. Although the lad had never encountered it before, he understood blood debts far better than Thorin would have given him credit before, and was willing to defy his uncle to ensure that he would not fail in the debt he owed.

He could see his nephew was close to tears, despite his efforts to hide it. The lad was shaking too, he noticed. Thorin became aware that he hadn't realized how much Kili had feared his reaction to his defiance. The lad was torn between his blood debt and his duty to his family. It was a very difficult place to be for any dwarf, let alone one who has barely come of age. The boy had always idolized him, had always wanted to be like him. Knowing that he had let his uncle down, had _disappointed _him, must be tearing him up inside. He could see the dark circles under Kili's tired eyes, and realized that the lad likely hadn't slept much at all since the warg incident.

Thorin began to calm, realizing just how lost and confused the lad must feel. He reached out to Kili, and much to his surprise the startled lad backed up so quickly that he fell onto the floor, scooting back until he was up against a pillar. Thorin knelt before him, and the lad flinched, drawing his arm up to protect his face as though he was afraid his uncle would strike him. Thorin felt his heart sink at the sight. The realization that his nephew_ feared_ him, actually feared him, was almost more than Thorin could bear. He would _never_ lay a hand on his nephews.

"Kili," he said gently. The lad looked up at him in surprise, not expecting such a gentle tone after what he had said just a few moments ago. Thorin locked eyes with him, and could see the fear in his youngest nephew's brown eyes.

"I may be angry with you, but I would never strike you," he said. A tear fell unbidden from his nephew's eyes, and he swiped it quickly away, before kneeling in front of Thorin, head bowed.

"I'm sorry uncle," he whispered, "P-please don't hate me like you hate the elves." Thorin's eyes widened at the trembling lad before him. Was his professed hatred of elves so strong that Kili feared his uncle would hate him as well for being willing to ask for aid from them? It explained his nephew's unusual reaction to his lecture. He gently placed his hands on Kili's shoulders and brought his forehead to his nephew's.

"Kili, you are my nephew, my kin. I could never hate you," Thorin said gently. "Do you understand that?" Kili nodded. Thorin stood up and offered his hand. Kili reached up, and Thorin helped him off the floor. His nephew still couldn't meet his eyes, but at least he had not flinched from him.

"How long has it been since you slept?" Thorin asked, seeing his nephew waver slightly. He looked up at his uncle, tired lines clouding his face.

"Four days," he said, "I-I keep trying, but I can't." His shoulders slumped and he let out an enormous yawn. His nephew was clearly exhausted. Thorin nodded, and motioned Kili to follow.

They entered the large bedchamber, and Thorin lit a candle. He knelt by Oin's bag and fished around for a minute before withdrawing a small vial with runes etched into it. Thorin held the candle up to the vial, before nodding and blowing the candle out. He handed the vial to Kili.

"Take it. It is a sleeping draught. You must rest," Thorin instructed. Kili nodded, and swallowed the foul tasting liquid. He made a face as he drank it, gagging a bit at the last few drops.

"Why do Oin's medicines always taste so awful?" he coughed. Thorin smiled. There was the Kili he knew.

XXX

The next morning, the dwarves all began to grumble as they stumbled out of bed. Few of the dwarves were morning people, and the tension of being in the elven valley made it worse. Yawning, they began to dress, before heading up to a guest dining hall for breakfast.

Thorin noted with some satisfaction that Kili was still in bed sound asleep, snoring lightly with a peaceful expression on his face. Fili had panicked for a moment when he couldn't wake his brother, until Thorin had told him about the sleep drought. Fili nodded, relieved that his brother was finally resting. He hadn't been sleeping too well either, with Kili's tossing and turning waking him frequently.

He hadn't told anyone, but he knew Kili had been suffering from nightmares about what had happened. He had managed to wake up in time to keep his brother from crying out each time, but to be honest he had been having some too. In his sleep he kept reliving the moment where he knew he wouldn't be able to reach Kili in time, only this time the girl was not there to protect him and the warg would grab Kili by the throat. He would see his brother's blood spurt out, and his brother's eyes would be staring at him. He would be begging him to help him, before the light in his eyes went out and his body would be limp.

Fili would wake up in a cold sweat and panting hard, only to feel his very much alive brother next to him, whimpering and restless. He would often see Kili's brow furrowed, and his breath quicken, and he would gently shake his brother awake and reassure him that they were safe, until he fell back into his fitful sleep again.

He didn't think Kili had noticed his nightmares, and hoped he didn't. He didn't want to worry his younger brother further, as he already had enough worries on his mind. His thoughts were interrupted when Thorin approached him.

"Fili, the girl awakened last night," he said. Fili looked at his uncle in surprise.

"She did? How is she?" he asked.

"She was very disoriented and confused, and Gandalf assured me that was normal given her blood loss. However, both he and Lord Elrond believe that she will be more lucid this morning. After breakfast, I wish for you and your brother to accompany me to her chambers," he replied. Kili let out a loud snore, causing Thorin and Fili to glance at the drooling, unconscious dwarf.

"If he's even awake by then," Fili chuckled, shaking his head, before following the company heading toward the guest dining hall.

Now that she was awake, he hoped she would finally shed some light on the question that had been plaguing them for the past three days. But most of all, he wished to thank her for saving his brother's life. He could not imagine what would happen if his brother were to die, and the very thought that he had come so close to it terrified Fili. One thing he knew for sure- even if he lived as long as Durin the Deathless, he would never be able to repay the debt he owed her.


	10. Chapter 10

_**I do not own any of the characters or the Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC) those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reull Tolkien, and without his genius, this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.**_

_**Please review! I love getting them-they keep me encouraged! J**_

Kili woke with a start. He sat up, rubbing his eyes and feeling more refreshed than he had been for at least a week. The draught Thorin had given him had given him a deep and dreamless sleep, and he had needed it badly. Very badly.

The haunting nightmares plagued him, replaying that moment when he thought he was going to die. Then he would hear the blood curdling scream, and then all he could see was blood. He would be holding pressure on the girl's wound, and she would look up at him with eyes wide open, and say over and over again, "It was your fault." He would look up, and Thorin would be staring at him, condemning him for even thinking of asking elves for aid, before shaking his head and walking away. Fili would be screaming his name, but his feet were rooted to the ground and he couldn't move.

He would keep apologizing, saying, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Help me, please!" to everyone, but no one would listen. And as the blood spurted through his fingers, everything faded out, until all he could hear was, "It was your fault. You killed me. It was your fault."

He would wake to his brother shaking his shoulders gently, saying, "Kee, it's going to be all right. You are safe. No one can hurt you here. You are safe." He would then lay on his brother's chest, feeling the soothing heartbeat until he slipped back into fitful sleep. His brother could reach him. His uncle didn't reject him. He was safe.

Last night, when his uncle started yelling at him about the elves, Kili thought for certain that his nightmare would come true. At least, the part where Thorin rejected him would. So, when his uncle had lifted his hand, Kili suddenly became terrified. He wasn't aware of backing up or tripping. All he was aware of was his uncle, and the thought that he would be struck.

Growing up, he never stopped hearing terrible stories about the elves. Of course, he had heard the story about how the elves had abandoned the dwarves in their hour of need from both his uncle, and his mother, and Mr. Balin and Mr. Dwalin. But, unbeknownst to his uncle, when he was around the forge, or when he was in training waiting for his turn to spar, or when he was around some of the other adult dwarves in the dining halls, he would hear stories. Terrible stories, of the elves kidnapping dwarf children to enslave them in their forges, of elves haunting young dwarflings at night when they could not sleep, of elvish magic placing curses on the crops of neighboring villages so the dwarves wouldn't have much to eat. He had heard stories that went so far as to say that elves were once in league with balrogs and dragons, and would instruct them to destroy the dwarf kingdoms whose leaders displeased them.

But, when he had seen elves for the first time, and Lord Elrond had fought to save the young girl's life, Kili had been in shock. And when Gandalf even supported Lord Elrond's claim that the girl be taken to Rivendell, his jaw had hit the floor. These elves were _nothing_ like the stories he had heard. He could see the many, many years of wisdom in Lord Elrond's gaze, and the friendliness in them despite the animosity between their races. And, despite Lindir and others, Lord Elrond had not only welcomed them as guests, but as guests of honor.

He had dined with them, a thing that had not been known to happen for hundreds of years. He had treated Kili with the utmost respect, and though the elvish clothes had not been to Kili's liking, he had seemed to sense that Kili had been in horror over what had happened and knew that he would wish to wash the blood off his clothes and hands as soon as possible. And he had provided clothing for him to wear in the meantime so he would not be shamed.

No, Lord Elrond and his house had, for the most part, shown Kili that much of what he had heard growing up was merely hate fueled stories intended to scare young dwarflings. He did not doubt his mother or uncle or his respected elders that were in the company. He would never venture to guess that anyone had out and out lied to him about elves. However, he was beginning to understand that perhaps his uncle may have been wrong, at least about this elf. Maybe not all elves were bad. He wasn't sure anymore.

So when his uncle had become angry at Kili seeking them for aid against Thorin's will, Kili was terrified. His uncle had hated elves with a passion for many long years, even long before Fili and Kili had been born. It was only one of three things that Kili ever saw his uncle get that angry about, the other two being Smaug and Azog. He knew that Thorin tried to hold his temper against them in check for the sake of them and their mother, but once he had seen Thorin lose his temper completely, and he had been hiding at the time.

_It had been in the armory in the Blue Mountains. He had secretly followed Thorin into the training room while Fili had been off with their mother on an errand. He was supposed to stay home and practice his reading, but he had decided to watch his uncle train instead. He hid behind a rack of swords, and watched Thorin go through his training alone. His eyes widened in awe at the complicated footwork and intricate patterns that his uncle weaved with his sword, and strangely enough, his uncle spoke when he trained. _

_Much of what he heard would undoubtedly have earned his uncle a hiding from his sister, king or no, had she overheard it. It was most certainly not meant for a dwarfling's ears. He cursed Azog for murdering his family. The practice dummy lost an arm for that one. He did other moves, and shouted at Smaug for destroying Erebor. The dummy lost its other arm. His uncle panted, and took a sip of water. _

_He began the next attack, cursing and shouting the elves for abandoning his people. Worse than an enemy, who had always been an enemy, was an enemy who had once been called friend. He stabbed, hacked, and slashed at the dummy, before beheading it, sending the stuffed head rolling under the rack where Kili was hiding. The errant dwarfling had held his breath, fearing that he would be caught, and petrified of the sheer anger radiating from his uncle at this point._

_Then something happened that Kili had never seen before, and would never likely see again. Thorin completely lost his temper. He grasped the hilt of his sword, and with a loud curse sent it flying into the very rack where Kili was hiding. The terrified dwarfling had screamed as swords crashed all around him, curling up into a tiny ball. By some miracle of Mahal, he had not been killed or even had more than a few tiny scratches. _

_Thorin had rushed over to the rack faster than Kili had ever seen him move, his face drained of blood and all anger forgotten. Tears had flown down his face as he threw swords out of the way, not caring if he was cutting himself in his haste. He finally saw Kili's back, and Kili could feel his uncle's hands shaking as he sucked in a breath. _

_"Mahal, no," he whispered, his body shaking with repressed sobs. "KILI!" He reached under the young dwarfling's arms and pulled him out of the pile of swords as carefully as he could, trying his best not to injure him further. When Thorin saw that Kili was alive, and mostly unhurt, he had thanked Eru with everything he had, and he began to sob violently. He had curled Kili in his lap and cradled the frightened young dwarfling close. Kili had felt the tears landing unbidden into his hair, and cried along with his uncle. _

_"Uncle Thowin, you scareded me," he had cried, fisting his hand in his uncle's braids. Thorin held the tiny dwarfling close._

_"Forgive me, Kili. Forgive me," he kept saying, rocking back and forth. Kili had not known it at the time, but when Thorin realized his blind anger had nearly cost him his sister-son, he had vowed to instill the lesson of never fighting in anger in his two nephews from the minute they could bear a training sword. It was a lesson Thorin never forgot. _

When Thorin had gotten angry at Kili last night, for a very brief second, Kili had seen the same look in his eye on the day of that training accident so many years ago. It had completely terrified him. All rationality left him as he shrank away from his uncle, fearing that he would hate him as much as he hated elves. And there was a certain bent sword rack in the Blue Mountains that testified how much Thorin hated elves. Kili had no desire to have a similar fate.

Thorin must have seen the same fear in Kili's eyes that he had then, and spoke to Kili just as gently. Kili wondered if it had truly been the drought that had helped him sleep well, or rather if it had been that the tension between him and his uncle had finally lifted as offenses were acknowledged and forgiven.

Whatever it was, he was glad for the rest. Doubtless he hadn't been thinking very clearly with his lack of sleep. It had certainly slowed his thinking. Sitting up, he looked out at the sun, and his eyes widened as he realized it must be near noon. He never slept this late, unless he was ill. He scrambled from the bed, and ran into the bathroom to get water for the washbasin. He wet his hair and ran his fingers through it, before fastening his silver clip in it. He threw on his spare set of clothes from his pack that the company had brought with them, and took off at a run toward the dining hall.

XXX

The dwarves had finished breakfast, and most of them went outside to a training ground that was near their quarters for a few hours until lunch. Besides being useful, the training had ensured that there would be minimal interaction with the elves, something that both the elves and dwarves were very thankful for. And it had provided poor Bilbo with the opportunity, er, requirement that he begin to learn to wield his new "letter opener". The dwarves were eager teachers, despite their pupil being rather, well, uncooperative. It provided most of the dwarves with some rather amusing entertainment, and, despite Bilbo's complaining, his skills did begin to improve, albeit slowly.

Thorin and Fili had gone to see if Kili was awake, and, finding him still asleep, spoke with Gandalf a bit before joining their company. Thorin looked on as Dwalin tried to teach the poor frustrated hobbit the proper stances for the various basic moves. It was an hour and a half into training and poor Bilbo already looked like he had run across half of Middle-earth as sweat soaked hair clung to his forehead and his breath came in pants.

"Bilbo, you need to widen your stance for an overhead block! How do you expect to stay upright if an orc twice your size comes at you?" Dwalin thundered, correcting the hobbit's stance for what seemed like the hundredth time. Bilbo rolled his eyes.

"If an orc comes at me intending to trim my waistline, do you seriously think I plan on staying in one place?" he retorted, "I am going to move out of the way like a sane person would!" Many of the dwarves howled at the thunderous expression on Dwalin's face.

"If an orc comes at you, do you plan on killing it or dancing with it?!" he roared. Thorin couldn't help the chuckle that escaped from his mouth at the image of Dwalin dancing with an orc at a ball. Several of the other dwarves laughed as well, and Bofur pulled out his flute and began a merry tune. Several of the dwarves began to dance, while Nori asked Dwalin who would wear the dress to the ball. A sharp look from Dwalin silenced him. He threw up his hands in defeat.

"Fine! It's not like that little letter opener would do much damage anyway!" Dwalin roared as he thundered away, cursing under his breath about the stupidity of hobbits and other unsavory thoughts regarding their burglar. However many of the company heard him loud and clear and snickered. Bilbo sheathed his sword and placed his hands on his knees, panting loudly.

"I think our burglar has had enough training for one day," Thorin said, looking at the rest of his company, who had stopped dancing. "The rest of you seem to have done less training and more observing, which will not aid in sharpening your skills any more than it will the hobbit's."

Several dwarves sighed and reached for their weapons, before pairing up and separating to spar with each other. A few bags of coin exchanged hands, and Balin, hands full with small bags of coin, came to stand by Thorin. The dwarf king eyed his friend curiously.

"May I inquire as to what wager you seem to have won?" he asked his old friend, and Balin chuckled.

"The wager was about how long Dwalin would continue to work with the hobbit before he gave up," Balin answered. Thorin looked at the bags, and Balin chuckled again.

"How long did you bet?" Thorin asked.

"About an hour and a half," he replied, "Most of the company thought he wouldn't last five minutes. But they didn't know that I had bet with _his_ coin." Thorin threw back his head and laughed.

"Well, at least that ensured that Dwalin would spend a decent amount of time supervising the burglar's training," he said, still chuckling.

"I told him I would bet an hour and a half. He almost had my head for it five minutes in, but I stuck with what I said. Like you, I wanted to make sure Bilbo had enough training today," Balin winked.

"Well, at least poor Dwalin will have gotten paid for his trouble," Thorin smiled, then looked at Balin.

"How did you convince _Dwalin_ to train him?" he asked curiously. Balin chuckled again.

"We drew sticks, and Dwalin pulled the short stick," he replied. Thorin shook his head. Wager or no, he was still surprised Dwalin lasted that long. He had trained many a dwarf back in the Blue Mountains, including helping with Fili and Kili. The difference had been that they actually _wanted_ to learn. Apparently, the hobbit didn't, though Thorin could not figure out why.

_Why wouldn't anyone want to learn how to defend themselves?_ He thought. Being a dwarf, and not a hobbit, it was an unheard of thing to not want to learn at least one weapon. Of course, one could hardly count Ori's slingshot to be a weapon, but still. Bilbo didn't even have _that_. He would think Bilbo would want to learn how to wield his short sword, even if it was merely to prevent him from accidentally injuring _himself._

"Well, I know you said back in the Shire that you were an old warrior, but would you care to spar with me? I would go easy on you, of course," Thorin smirked at his old friend. Balin smirked back.

"Easy on me? I would think you would have better regard for my skills than that!" he retorted, drawing his sword.


	11. Chapter 11

_**I do not own any of the characters or the Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC) those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reull Tolkien, and without his genius, this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.**_

_**Please review! I love getting them-they keep me encouraged! J**_

_**Note- I am really, really sorry for not posting for a few days. It has been rather hectic, and though I have an idea about how the story goes, this particular spot has been giving me some trouble, and I ended up with a tiny writer's block. But I will try to see if I can manage two chapters today to make up for it!**_

_After _Hûredhiel left to send for Lord Elrond, Cirashala laid back and tried everything in her power to focus away from the pain until the tea had a chance to work. Her aching head was spinning a bit still, and she had no doubt that she was likely severely dehydrated. She was also fighting a losing battle with nausea, which didn't help matters, and began to seriously regret saying she would be fine alone for a few minutes.

She tried taking deep, slow breaths to try and quell the nausea, but the movement pulled at her wounds, making her wince. She hated nausea with a vengeance-she had been very sick for the entirety of the time as she carried both her daughters, and had needed quite a lot of medicine to keep her from ending up in the hospital several times with each. She swallowed heavily, and looked toward the slightly opened windows. _Perhaps some fresh air would help,_ she thought.

She slowly sat up, head spinning and swallowing repeatedly. Her legs felt leaden as she tried to bring her feet to the edge of the bed without twisting her abdomen. Shaking arms supported her weight as she finally managed to sit alongside the edge of the bed.

She glanced down, realizing for the first time that she was no longer in her stained and ripped undergarments but rather a light blue elvish silk nightgown. She hoped that she wouldn't trip on it, since it was surely too long for her short stature. Taking as deep of a breath as she could, she placed her right hand on the table with the glass basin for support, and pushed off the bed.

Her bare feet met cool stone, but she hadn't realized just how dizzy she was. The room began to tilt dangerously, and before she knew what was happening, she fell to the floor with a loud cry. As she fell, her hand swiped against the glass basin, sending it flying off the table and past her, shattering into many sharp pieces as it smashed into the stone floor.

She landed on her uninjured side, breathing heavily and her stomach lurching. Somehow, she had missed the shards of glass scattered across the floor. Fighting desperately to keep the tea in her stomach, she did not notice the loud footsteps echoing just outside her door.

XXX

Kili rushed down the hall, up the stairs, and through the corridor. He was sure the company would be in the dining hall so close to noon. He did not desire another lecture from Thorin about going off by himself among the elves. As he rounded corners, he grabbed onto pillars to keep himself from sliding on the smooth floor. A few elves moved out of the way with some mutters, but he paid them no mind.

As he was passing near the healing room where the injured girl was, he heard a loud crash and a familiar cry. He skidded to a sudden stop, eyes wide as his head turned toward the door where the sound emitted from. Realizing it had indeed come from the girl's room, he turned and burst through the door, his hand on the hilt of the hidden knife inside his tunic.

He stopped short when he didn't see her in the bed, before realizing the blankets had fallen toward the side away from the door. Not seeing the glass on the floor, he ran around to the opposite side of the bed, only to step on a large curved shard and fall hard on the glass covered floor.

He barely managed to hold in his cry of pain, biting his lip against it as a sharp piece of broken glass imbedded itself into his forearm. He had landed on his right arm hard, and sucked in quick breaths through his tight lips. Reaching a trembling hand to the broken glass, he pulled out the shard in one swift motion, before clamping his hand down on the deep cut. He cradled his arm close to his body, putting pressure on the wound.

Raising his head, he caught sight of the girl in front of him lying on the floor, her face twisted in pain as she doubled over with her arms wrapped around her abdomen. The light blue nightgown she wore pooled around her, one pale shoulder slightly out of its sleeve. She glanced at him, and their eyes met, before she turned away from him and threw up on the floor, losing her battle with nausea. He managed to shift his body until he was sitting up with his back against the side of the bed, closing his eyes as he laid his head back and fighting his own urge to vomit. He had always struggled with not getting sick when someone else was, and he hated himself for that weakness.

She finished quickly, and sat back, panting, before glancing back up at Kili. The dwarf glanced at her shoulder, and looked quickly away. She glanced down, and straightened the nightgown, whimpering at the pain the sudden movement caused. His head turned, and his face wore a concerned expression.

"A-are you all right?" he asked her, eyes glancing toward her abdomen before coming back up to her face. He swallowed and felt his cheeks warm in embarrassment as she glanced at his injured arm, remembering his rather _graceful_ entrance into her room a moment before. He turned and ducked his head, hoping she didn't notice his embarrassment behind the stray hair that fell around his face. He heard a slight shuffling and looked up at her in surprise as she began to scoot toward him.

She had grabbed a small roll of bandages that had also been swiped off the table when she fell, and, using her other arm, carefully brushed the broken glass out of the way before shuffling over to him. They locked eyes, then she looked down and reached for his arm with her left hand. He hesitated, unsure of what to do, before relinquishing his hold and allowing her to hold his arm.

He looked down at his arm and watched as she pushed his sleeve up to his elbow and shakily wrapped the bandages around his cut. She wrapped several layers around it, before tying the end of the bandage tightly. She leaned the side of her head against the bed, taking shaky breaths, before looking up again at the stunned dwarf. His eyes were wide as he stared at her, before dropping his head. His fingers trailed over the bandage.

"Thank you," he whispered. She nodded, before grasping her abdomen again and wincing in pain. Kili opened his mouth, but before he could speak, the door opened. A loud exclamation in elvish sounded through the room, before three sets of feet hurried over to the side of the bed, careful to avoid the broken glass.

The young dwarf and the girl looked up as Lord Elrond came into view, followed closely by Gandalf and Hûredhiel. Their eyes widened, and Lord Elrond immediately stepped between the bits of glass to help the girl get back into the bed. Gandalf reached over to Kili, who refused his help and stood up on his own. He pulled the sleeve of his tunic back down as he did so, before stepping off to the side.

Meanwhile, Hûredhiel ran into the side room, before returning with a broom, a mop, and a bucket, and began to clean up the glass shards and vomit. Lord Elrond and Gandalf stepped gingerly over the broken glass and moved to the other side of the bed. The elf made sure the girl was settled back against the pillows, before turning angry grey eyes toward the young dwarf.

"What happened here?" he asked sternly, standing up to his full height as he glared at the dwarf. Kili glared back as he stepped forward.

"I was going to ask you the same question. I was on my way to the dining hall to meet my kin and heard a crash. I ran in here to find her alone on the floor getting sick with broken glass everywhere," he bit back, conveniently leaving out the part where he had slipped and fell on said glass.

"Then why is there fresh blood on your arm and on the floor?" Lord Elrond retorted, moving closer to the dwarf. Kili's eyes widened and his hand moved subconsciously to cover the torn wet spot on his tunic. He swallowed, backing up a couple of steps.

"I-," he started, shrinking a bit as three pair of eyes were suddenly on him. How was he going to explain how he slipped and fell _again_ without making himself look clumsy and foolish in front of the sure footed elves?

"He was trying to help me, and cut himself on the glass," the girl whispered. Four pairs of surprised eyes turned toward the pale girl.

"I-I was feeling ill, and tried to get up and get fresh air, and I slipped," she continued, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to break the bowl." She looked down at her lap, eyes downcast. The room was quiet for a moment, before Gandalf broke the silence.

"That is quite all right, my dear. I am sure Lord Elrond has many more glass bowls and will not miss this one," Gandalf replied, smiling warmly at the girl, then glanced at Lord Elrond with an eyebrow raised. The elf sighed, before looking at Kili.

"Forgive me, master Kili. I fear I may have misjudged you," he apologized to the dwarf. Kili nodded in response, accepting the apology. Lord Elrond then turned toward Hûredhiel, anger again in his features.

"Why was she left unattended?" Lord Elrond snapped sharply, and Hûredhiel swallowed nervously, twisting her hands.

"S-she woke up this morning, and s-seemed fine," she stammered, face turning crimson. "I asked her if she w-would be fine while I fetched you, a-and she said she would be."

Lord Elrond responded in streams of elvish, and Hûredhiel shrank into herself, turning redder by the minute. Kili had no doubt that he was severely scolding her, if his tone and demeanor were anything to go by. She nodded in reply before leaving the room quickly, tears threatening in her eyes.

Kili could not deny that he felt some satisfaction in her embarrassment after the way she had embarrassed him last night, although he felt a bit guilty for it. He glanced at the girl in the bed, and blue eyes met brown.

He glanced down at his arm, then back at her, and nodded, a grateful look in his eyes. She looked confused for a minute, before recognition dawned in her eyes and she nodded back.

_He's thanking me for sparing him further embarrassment,_ Cirashala realized, before Lord Elrond drew her attention again. She looked up at the elf lord with wide eyes, unable to believe that she was actually looking at Lord Elrond himself, and wondering how on earth, or was it middle-earth, that Thorin of all people had been convinced to stay in Rivendell for longer than the one night.

She blushed as she realized the elf lord had asked her a question and she hadn't responded, and looked down at her hands sheepishly. Lord Elrond smiled slightly at seeing the girl so flustered. It was not unusual for someone to be startled at seeing elves for the first time. He kindly repeated the question.

"How are you feeling, young maiden?" he asked her. She swallowed, wincing as she shifted a bit.

"It h-hurts," she whispered, her hand going to her wound. He nodded.

"It will likely hurt for a while," he replied, and spoke something to Gandalf in elvish. Gandalf went into the side room, and, like Hûredhiel earlier, emerged with a warm cup of tea. He handed it to her, and she checked the temperature first with her finger, before drinking it thirstily. Lord Elrond reached out and placed his hand on her arm.

"Slow down," he commanded, "You will get sick again if you drink too quickly." She nodded, and began to sip it more slowly. Normal color began to return to her cheeks as she felt the warm healing draught course through her. By the time the cup was empty, she could feel her pain lessening. Lord Elrond took the cup from her and placed it on the table beside the bed.

"I will need to look at your wounds to make sure they are healing properly," he stated, before shooting a glance at the dwarf. Kili nodded and started to turn around, but Lord Elrond stopped him.

"Master Kili, your kin are at the training ground near your quarters. Your king has requested to speak to her when she awakened. Since I sent Hûredhiel away, would you be willing to send for him while I tend her wounds?" he asked, hoping the dwarf wouldn't take offense at being asked to bear a message. Kili nodded, and left the room. Lord Elrond turned back toward his task, hoping that infection had not set in.

XXX

Kili hastened along the corridor, his mind even more confused than before. He fingered the bandage under his shirt as he walked, twisting around elves until he turned into an unoccupied hallway. He stopped for a moment and leaned against the wall, trying to make sense of his jumbled thoughts.

He looked up, and through the arched window in front of him, he could see the bright sunlight sparkling off the many rivers and waterfalls in the valley. His fingers felt the sticky wetness of the bloody tunic, and he realized that he had better change tunics before the company saw his injury and mustered to arms.

_Why did she do that? _He wondered. _She was obviously in pain, and yet she not only bandaged my arm, but she saved me from admitting that I got hurt because I was clumsy _again_. _

Her actions continued to puzzle him. At least one of his questions had been answered-she did speak Westron. But it seemed for every question that was answered, several more questions would plague his mind.

What happened to her to make her so frightened when he first found her? He thought about the trembling, near silent, injured girl he had found back in the troll cave.

_Was she attacked by thieves?_ He thought, remembering her disheveled state and her strange clothes. A long forgotten memory suddenly entered his mind.

_His mother was doing laundry, and seeing the white garments hanging on the line that he had never actually seen her wear. When he had asked her what the strange white clothes were, she had told him that they were special clothes that women and girls wore under their dresses. "Wike my long unnerwear?" he had asked, and she nodded. He had been a very small child at the time, and the matter was forgotten in a matter of seconds as he spied a cricket in the corner of the room. _

His eyes widened and his cheeks turned crimson as he realized that, though the style was different from his mother's, the strange clothing the girl wore when he found her must have been her undergarments. He was glad he had not realized this before, otherwise he would have been far too embarrassed to be of much aid to her at the time.

Not knowing that she came from another world entirely, and that it was her unfortunate fall down the riverbank that caused her lack of a dress, he came to the only conclusion he could think of. His jaw tightened and his fist clenched in anger as he could only think of one thing that could result in a frightened woman in such a state out in the wild, and he vowed that if he ever laid eyes on the thieves that did this to her, they would pay with their lives. Dwarves were very protective of their women, and an offense like the one Kili thought of would be punishable by death.

_That explains why she was so frightened of us, _he thought to himself. Taking deep breaths to calm himself, he hurried to his room to change, hoping that none of the company was in there to spot his bloody tunic.


	12. Chapter 12

_**I do not own any of the characters or the Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC) those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reull Tolkien, and without his genius, this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.**_

_**Please review! I love getting them-they keep me encouraged! J**_

The company had just finished training as the sun rose to midday. Bilbo had been allowed to stop and rest after his session with Dwalin, and had set aside watching the rest of the company spar with each other.

He watched as they wielded their various weapons with deadly precision, as though it were indeed an intricate dance. Even with his untrained eye, he could tell those who were trained warriors from those who fought only when they had to defend themselves or their king.

Thorin, Balin, Fili, and Dwalin were most definitely very well trained, although he had suspected as much of the latter having been subject to his training methods first hand. He watched in awe as Thorin and Balin's swords flashed in the bright sunlight, each intricate move getting faster and each block succeeding in rapid succession. He could instantly tell they had been trained together judging by the familiarity and similarity of their strikes and parries.

He could tell from the way Fili worked with Ori that Fili had been taught by Thorin and Dwalin. Apparently, Ori's choice of a weapon, which he wielded with admirable skill according to the hobbit (given that hobbits often utilize stones in a similar manner, though they don't usually use a slingshot to throw them), was not quite up to the standards the dwarves kept for themselves, and Fili had offered to train Ori to be able to wield a warhammer in close combat. Ori was using Fili's slightly lighter warhammer while Fili was wielding Dwalin's hammer.

Bilbo could see that even Fili was struggling a bit with the massive warhammer, and he supposed that it was because, despite being a dwarf, Ori likely didn't have his muscles developed as much as the young heir due to his interests in scholarly work instead of weapons training. As such, Fili had offered him the lighter weapon so it would be easier for him to wield. He didn't really blame the lad. Bilbo highly suspected that the hammer weighed even more than _he _did, and he seriously doubted he would even be able to lift it off the ground at all.

He could see Fili's quiet patience as he taught Ori the basic stances for his weapon, and the basic sequences for various moves, and wondered why they had picked _Dwalin_ of all people to teach him! He would much rather train with someone who he was sure wouldn't rip his head off once he gave him up to be a lost cause, and he decided that if he was to learn how to wield the darn thing, he would seek out Fili and ask him to help him learn some basic swordsmanship. At least it would be better than Dwalin, whom Bilbo highly suspected had not offered to teach him by choice.

Seeing the dwarves begin to sweat as their exertions continued and the warm sun climbed higher in the sky, he decided that it would probably benefit them if they were to have some cool water to drink after. Bilbo himself had already drunk so much water after his session that he was beginning to think his eyeballs would begin to float. He jumped down from his perch and headed towards their chambers.

XXX

Kili entered the dwarves' chambers and was quickly rifling through his pack to get a clean tunic when he heard a slight gasp from the doorway. He looked up and caught sight of Bilbo, whose wide eyes were trained on his blood stained sleeve.

"Kili, you're hurt! What happened?" the hobbit exclaimed. "Should I go get Fili? Or Thorin?"

"NO! Don't tell them!" Kili cried, rushing to his feet in a bit of a panic. Bilbo jumped at the sudden outburst, giving Kili a very confused look.

"But you're injured! You're bleeding," he replied, gesturing toward Kili's arm. "Do you want me to get Oin instead? He's a healer, right? Or Lord Elrond?"

"No! Don't get anyone," Kili rushed toward the bewildered hobbit, stumbling a bit over the company's packs and mattresses. He clutched his clean tunic to him with his uninjured arm. Bilbo looked up at the young dwarf, very clearly confused now.

"But—" he continued, but Kili shook his head.

"Bilbo, I am fine. I just cut myself on a piece of broken glass, that's all," Kili replied. "Look, it's already bandaged." He pushed up his sleeve, revealing the bandage, before pulling it down again and looking Bilbo in the eye. The hobbit didn't look convinced, and he stared back with one eyebrow raised.

"Kili—" he tried again, but Kili held up his hand, and Bilbo sighed loudly in exasperation, rolling his eyes.

"Bilbo, please," Kili begged, "Don't tell anyone in the company about my cut. It was just an accident, I swear." He smiled a bit, but his eyes had a pleading look in them. Bilbo returned his gaze, before swallowing and nodding. He sighed loudly, shaking his head.

"What happened?" he asked. Kili looked down at his feet before responding.

"I thought everyone would be in the dining hall when I woke up, and I was running there when I heard a loud crash." He proceeded to tell Bilbo about how he didn't see the girl in her bed and fell on a broken piece of glass as he rounded the corner of the large bed. He kept the part about her bandaging his arm out as he was still not sure what to make of it.

"Is she all right?" Bilbo asked. Kili nodded.

"Aye. Lord Elrond's checking her bandages now," he replied, before sending Bilbo a very serious look. Bilbo looked up and met his gaze.

"Bilbo, the company- they cannot know about this. They will think the elves harmed me, and I don't want to start a war," he finished, casting Bilbo a pleading look. "Please, please don't tell anyone." Bilbo nodded.

"Of course, Kili," he replied, "the last thing I want to do is start a war too." He gave the young dwarf a friendly smile and gestured toward his arm.

"I won't tell," he continued, his voice firm, "as long as you make sure that cut heals properly." Kili nodded his thanks, relief showing in his face. He glanced around, before quickly taking the bloody tunic off and donning the clean one. He slipped into the bath and filled a small bucket with water, before placing the soiled shirt in it. He could hear the echoing footsteps of the company as they approached the chambers, and quickly stuck the bucket in an inconspicuous corner.

XXX

He came out of the bath just as the company reentered the room. The dwarves went to their beds and proceeded to set their large weapons down before stowing some small daggers on their person. Fili saw Kili and ran over to him, relief showing in his features.

"Kili! You're awake!" he said, quickly looking Kili over, before pulling Kili aside. Kili tried not to grimace as Fili's hand put slight pressure on his cut. He was very thankful his brother didn't seem to notice the slight thickness beneath his sleeve.

"Did you finally get some rest?" he added quietly so the others wouldn't hear. Kili nodded. The brothers locked eyes, and Kili could see the concern in his brother's expression. He also noticed the dark circles and tired lines under Fili's eyes, and felt guilty that his brother had lost sleep because of his nightmares. He looked down at his feet.

"I'm sorry, Fee," he whispered. Fili's eyebrows furrowed together as he stared at his brother.

"What for?" he asked, confusion in his voice. Kili hung his head.

"For waking you with my nightmares," he replied, eyes not meeting his brother's.

"Kili, look at me," Fili paused, then reached his hand under his brother's chin and forced Kili to look at him when he didn't look up. Kili's brown eyes met his, and Fili could see shame filling them at Kili's perceived weakness.

"Kili, it's not your fault," he said. "You cannot help having nightmares after all that happened." Kili looked at him doubtfully.

"But, Fee. You aren't sleeping because of me. You're exhausted," Kili replied. Fili sighed and swallowed.

"Truth is, I have been having nightmares about what happened too," Fili admitted, eyes downcast.

Kili's eyes widened. Fili hadn't been bothered with nightmares for many, many years now. His brother had rarely had them even as a child and, more often than not, it had been Kili who curled next to his brother during the lightning storms and nightmares whimpering. Fili would wrap his arms around his little brother and stroke his hair until he calmed and fell back asleep with his head on Fili's chest. There wasn't much of an age difference between the two, but Fili had always been very protective of his younger brother, regardless if the "enemies" were bullies or night terrors.

_It must be really bad if even Fili is having them, too,_ Kili thought. He brought his other arm up and rested it on Fili's, and Fili looked up at him. Kili could see the vulnerability in Fili's gaze, knowing that it was hard for him to admit that he had been having nightmares as well. The brothers didn't need words to express what they were feeling, as close as they were. Fili smiled slightly at the reassurance in his brother's eyes and brought his other hand to rest on Kili's arm, before leaning forward and touching their foreheads together.

"It's alright, Fee," Kili whispered.

"I know," he replied, smiling slightly.

XXX

Thorin approached his nephews, and both lads looked up as they heard his footsteps. They let go of each other's arms and looked up at him.

"Fili, Kili. After we eat, I would like the two of you to accompany me to the healing chamber," he ordered. The lads nodded, and Kili's stomach let out a loud growl.

Fili snickered, and Kili elbowed him in the ribs. Thorin rolled his eyes, before turning toward the company.

"After we eat, return here and gather your things. We will likely leave before dawn," he said, and ten relieved faces nodded in acknowledgement.

Bilbo nodded as well, but was a little disappointed that they wouldn't be staying longer in Rivendell. He had taken quite a liking to Lord Elrond, and the elf lord himself had offered him the chance to stay if he should choose. He knew he had signed a contract, and it was not considered polite to break one, but part of him still entertained the thought that, should things continue to go badly, he would gladly return to Rivendell.

However, he knew that staying for four days in the elven valley had worn down the patience of most in the company, and would be relieved when the complaining and tension ceased among the group. Dwarves were a very unpleasant lot when cranky, he had noticed, and when he thought back to Gandalf leaving them the night of the trolls to "find someone who had any sense", he couldn't really blame the wizard.

_Come to think of it, if I recall correctly, that conversation had been associated with elves too,_ he thought to himself. He couldn't personally find a reason that the dwarves wouldn't want to be near the elves. Of course, the elves hadn't abandoned him and his home to the wrath of a dragon, but still. He found the company of the elves to be quite pleasant, especially Lord Elrond. Lord Elrond had been very kind to them, despite the obvious hostility that radiated off the dwarves, and he couldn't see any reason why they would dislike him. In fact, he had a feeling that he would very much like to call the elf lord friend. He didn't dare say that to the company though.

XXX

Kili was very quiet during the noon meal. He was a bit nervous about finally getting the chance to find out the answers to his questions. He picked at the leafy greens and fruit, until his grumbling stomach forced him to recognize his hunger from missing breakfast. Fili looked sidelong at him and gave him an encouraging smile.

"Eat, little brother," he said, poking Kili in the ribs. Kili swatted his hand away. Fili grinned.

"Don't want you getting even skinnier than you already are," he said with a wink. Kili glared at him as the company chuckled. He made to shove two whole peaches in his mouth in protest, but a warning glare from Thorin stopped him. He gave Thorin a sheepish look as he set the peaches down.

"Can't see how we all wouldn't get skinnier on these damn leaves," Dwalin muttered under his breath, and Kili bit back a chuckle. Most of the company had reluctantly accepted the elves' food because it was better than using up their own limited supply, since there wasn't any other place to get new supplies until the other side of the mountains. Dwalin, however much he had complied with Thorin's order to leave the supplies alone, still grumbled every chance he could get. Kili could only imagine how picky he must have been as a child. If the looks and eye rolls Balin gave him every time he complained were any indication, he must have been very picky indeed.

XXX

After the noon meal was finished, the dwarves headed back to their chambers to ready their packs for the next morning. Thorin, along with Fili, Kili, and Gandalf, headed to the girl's chamber.

Kili had a hard time not fidgeting with the bandage in his nervousness, and he hoped that his cut would not be mentioned by Lord Elrond or Gandalf. Thankfully, his unease didn't seem to be noticed by his uncle. His brother looked sideways at him with a questioning gaze, but Kili just shrugged and subtly moved his left hand away from his bandage.

They reached her door, and Gandalf knocked. They heard a slight shuffling before Lord Elrond opened the door. He nodded his head to Thorin as he held the door open for the four. Thorin somewhat stiffly inclined his head as well, before entering the room. The girl looked nervously at the dwarf king, before taking a keen interest in her hands, which rested in her lap.

Kili noticed that she must have had assistance bathing, for instead of the wild, messy hair that she had before, it now hung down in neat if not still slightly damp curls down to almost her waist. Shorter tendrils that reached to just above her jaw hung on either side of her face. He saw that her eyes still had dark circles underneath them, which were slightly more pronounced with her head lowered.

Remembering his conclusion in the hall before dinner, his eyes narrowed as he cast a threatening look at Lord Elrond. The elf met his gaze, and his brow furrowed. Kili glanced to the girl, then back at Lord Elrond, who looked a little confused for a second before recognition dawned in his eyes. The elf lord shook his head and gestured slightly toward the side room, where a female servant emerged carrying a basket full of laundry.

Kili recognized the light blue silk fabric the girl had worn earlier among the white towels in the basket, and understood what Lord Elrond was trying to say. Realizing that the girl had received assistance from a woman instead of the elf lord, he turned his head back to Lord Elrond and nodded. His stance relaxed slightly, before he turned his attention to his uncle, who had stopped at the foot of the bed.

"Who are you?" Thorin asked her. "What were you doing in the troll cave?" The girl swallowed, and looked at Gandalf, uncertainty showing in her face.

"It's all right my dear," Gandalf assured her. She nodded, and, turning back toward the dwarf king, she replied in a small voice, "I-I was trying to hide from them."

"By hiding in their cave?" Thorin asked flatly, raising his eyebrow at her. From his many lectures as a child, Kili knew that Thorin did not quite believe her. The girl must have recognized the tone as well, for she ducked her head even further, her cheeks reddening slightly.

"I-I hid there, during the night," she replied in a whisper. "During the day, I hid in the woods."

"What were you even doing out there in the wild?" Thorin replied, staring hard at the girl. "The lone lands are no place for a young woman alone." The girl trembled, shutting her eyes tightly.

"I-I don't know," she whispered, drawing her arms about her. "I-I don't re-remember." A lone tear fell from her cheek, and she hastily brushed it away. It wasn't entirely false. She knew what had happened, but she did not know _how_ it happened. All she could remember was the fresh grave, then the impossibly bright flash of light and deafening crash, then waking up in the middle of Trollshaw forest. How that lightning bolt somehow transported her to Middle-earth, she did not know.

As the memories of the funeral began to flood her mind, her throat tightened and she suppressed a sob. Her hand flew toward her mouth, and she squeezed her eyes tight to keep the tears from falling. Her shoulders shook, and Gandalf laid a hand on them, before turning to Thorin.

"Perhaps that is enough questioning for now," he said softly but firmly. Thorin did not look happy about it, but nodded and turned to leave, gesturing for Fili and Kili to follow him. Fili turned, but Kili hesitated. He looked at the girl, who was trying desperately to stop crying. He didn't want to cause her any more pain, but he couldn't leave Rivendell not knowing why she had saved his life. Thorin and Fili stopped, looking at him. Kili met Thorin's eyes, before reluctantly following him. As the three reached the door, Kili stopped, and turned, casting one last glance at the girl, who was taking deep breaths and beginning to calm.

"Kili, come," Thorin commanded. He looked expectantly at Kili. The young dwarf swallowed, before slightly shaking his head. Thorin glared at him, but Kili paid him no mind as he turned slightly toward the girl again. Fili reached for his brother's arm and tugged, trying to get him to leave, but Kili didn't move.

"Why?" he asked her. The room stilled. Fili stopped tugging at his arm. Four pairs of surprised eyes looked at Kili, before glancing at the girl. She looked up at him, her wide blue eyes still brimming with tears.

"Why did you save my life?" he asked, his large brown eyes begging her to answer. She looked at him for a few moments, before turning her head towards the window. The sun glinted off the unheeded tears that fell from her cheeks. She sat that way so long, Kili feared she wouldn't answer.

"Kili, come on," Fili said softly. Letting his breath out, Kili looked at her sadly, before turning to leave. Her quiet voice suddenly sounded through the room, and both lads stopped in their tracks.

"No mother should feel the pain of burying her own child," she whispered, pain filling her voice, "No matter how young or old they are."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Note-So, I know I said that I would try to get this chapter out yesterday, but my husband and I had to move a 1968 sewing machine/real solid wood table combo out of my grandmother's very poorly constructed basement yesterday (that thing was freaking HEAVY and as wide as the narrow stair well, and the open faced gaps between the wood stairs were bigger than the hand truck's wheels which kept getting stuck, so my husband, being at the top, had to dead pull it up each step while I was underneath it pushing the hand truck base with my hands while pushing the table itself up with my head-no joke. It sucked! At least I have a hard head ;), so by the end of it all we were too exhausted and sore for me to write much, so here it is! (I started writing last night and finished it this afternoon, so I hope the break didn't make it too choppy). I apologize to my readers, but at least the Thorin confrontation finally happened! So I hope that makes things all better :)**

**-Tweetzone86**


	13. Chapter 13

_**I do not own any of the characters or the Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC) those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reull Tolkien, and without his genius, this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.**_

_**Please review! I love getting them-they keep me encouraged! J**_

The three stunned dwarves looked at each other with wide eyes, before slowly turning toward the girl. Lord Elrond and Gandalf looked at the girl in surprise as well, before glancing to each other. Seeing that she had closed her eyes, Thorin motioned his nephews to follow him out. Fili and Kili just stood where they were, eyes wide as they stared back and forth between each other and the girl, too dumbfounded to speak. Thorin sighed and moved back into the room. He passed between the lads, causing them to blink and refocus.

Thorin looked at the girl, who didn't seem to notice their reentry. He cleared his throat loudly, and she opened her eyes and looked back at him. Pain swirled in the blue of her eyes. Thorin gave her a long stare, before glancing down at the floor. Looking up, he bowed low at the waist.

"Thorin Oakenshield, at your service," he said awkwardly, straightening up.

"Thank you," he continued, clearing his throat again, "for saving the life of my kin, and for sparing my sister from further grief." The girl's eyes widened as she gaped at him, her tears ceasing in her astonishment.

Fili and Kili watched him in astonishment as well, having never actually seen their uncle bow to _anyone_ before, before quickly following suit.

"Fili—" Fili started.

"And Kili—" Kili added, then together they bowed and said in unison, "At your service."

"Thank you for saving the life of my brother," Fili said, bowing his head. "I will be forever indebted to you."

"Aye. Thank you, my lady," Kili added, swallowing nervously. "I owe you my life." The girl blinked her eyes before flushing and looking down at her lap again, unable to bear the sheer gratitude in their gazes.

"You don't owe me anything," she said quietly, causing the three dwarves to look at her in wide eyed astonishment. She looked up at them.

"It was the right thing to do."

XXX

Gandalf bit back the chuckle at the sheer dumbfounded look on Thorin and his nephews' faces. Dwarves do not take blood debts lightly at all, and he knew how difficult it had been for Thorin to bow to her and offer his service. Gandalf had encountered very few people during the hundreds of years he had spent in Middle-earth who would help a complete stranger, let alone dwarves, with no thought of recompense for themselves, and even fewer who would be willing to _die_ for them. He looked at the girl with intrigue. Something told him that there was more to her than met the eye.

Thorin motioned to his nephews, and they left the room, casting strange looks at the girl, as though they could not believe what they had heard. The door shut behind them with a soft click.

The wizard smiled, and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"You do not know what you are refusing," he stated with a knowing look in his eye. "Dwarves are fiercely protective of those who hold a blood debt over them, and reward those who save the lives of their kin very handsomely." Gandalf slyly winked at Lord Elrond, before looking back at the girl.

"But if people only help those who can reward them, then what happens to those who need help but cannot pay?" she replied, looking up at the wizard. "Should no one help them then?" she asked softly.

The wizard and elf stared at her in astonishment, before smiling at her.

"You seem very young, yet you possess wisdom far beyond your years," Lord Elrond said, nodding respectfully to the girl. "If there is anything you need, do not hesitate to ask." The girl looked up at the elf lord sadly.

"You have already been very kind to me, my lord, and I thank you. I cannot repay you for what you have done," she said, then looked down at her hands. She fingered the golden diamond ring on her left hand, and her voice wavered. "All I have left is my wedding ring. I-I do not have anything else. My husband, my babies, my home-it's all gone. I-I do not think I can part with it yet." Tears ran unbidden down her cheeks again as she looked up at the elf lord, and her voice cracked. "But if you ask it of me to repay you, I-I will."

Lord Elrond looked at her and his face softened as he saw the raw grief in her eyes. He could see how much the words had cost her. He had lived for many lives of men, and saw the pain wrought by loss far too often. He had experienced overwhelming grief when his brother, Elros, chose the path of men, and eventually died. And, though there was grief when his wife, Celebrian, sought the grey havens after her terrible ordeal with orcs, there was at least some comfort that he would see her again someday, when he finally makes the decision to leave Middle-earth and sail to the Undying Lands. He could not imagine the grief the poor girl felt, and his heart was filled with pity and understanding. He laid his hand over hers.

"There is no need to part with it," he replied softly. "Like you said, if one only aids those who can repay them, then others who cannot pay yet truly need aid will never receive it." She nodded in thanks, too moved to speak for a moment.

She glanced up at the elf lord, and quietly asked (if it wasn't too much trouble) if it was possible for her to get some traveling clothes, preferably a grey wool tunic and some trousers and a pair of boots, since her clothing was destroyed. The elf raised an eyebrow at her at the odd request, and she quickly assured him that the only reason she wished for male clothes was for safety so that other travelers wouldn't see she was a woman. The elf nodded in understanding, and assured her clothing and other necessities would be in her room by the evening.

Seeing her wipe her wet eyes with her hand and still sniffling, Gandalf fished in his sleeve. Finding what he was looking for, he reached his hand out to her. She couldn't stop herself as a watery laugh found its way between her lips when she saw what was in his hand. Gandalf and Lord Elrond looked at her in slight bewilderment, not sure what it was that made her chuckle slightly amidst her tears.

She took the grey handkerchief and wiped her eyes, silently wondering what would happen if Bilbo realized that his little "hanky" problem on that first day of the quest could have been resolved if Gandalf had bothered to tell the hobbit he had one up his sleeve the whole time.

XXX

Thorin, Fili and Kili walked the hall in silence. The brothers looked at each other, before looking up at their uncle. Seeing that Thorin wouldn't see them, they began to sign back and forth in igleshmek.

_I don't understand. Why did she say we didn't owe her anything?_ Kili signed to Fili. His brother shook his head, just as bewildered as Kili.

_I don't know, _he replied back. _You owe her a blood debt. That is very clear._

_But she didn't seem to want my protection, _Kili responded. _Or a reward._ _Doesn't she understand what a blood debt is?_

_Perhaps not, _Fili replied. _I don't think she is a dwarf. She's very small, but she doesn't have a beard. I think she is a human._

_But even humans have blood debts, don't they? _Kili asked. Fili shook his head.

_I'm not sure. Humans don't tend to keep their word, from what I can tell. They always tried to cheat Uncle Thorin at the forges, remember? _

Kili nodded. He remembered very well when Dwalin brought Thorin home one night hurt and in a fury.

_The winter after the boy's father was killed, when Kili was still young, Thorin had spent a great deal of time on a special order for a rather wealthy human in Bree. There was a bit of a food shortage that winter, and Thorin took every job he was offered to help put food on their table. He had traveled over fifty leagues and spent precious money to stay at an inn so he would be able to forge it in Bree and deliver it personally, as the human had requested. The deposit Thorin usually asked for was half of the cost of the sword. The other half would be paid on delivery, and it was supposed to be a very handsome sum._

_Dwalin usually accompanied him on these long deliveries, but unfortunately could not accompany him this time, as he was on his way back from a meeting north and would not arrive in time. Since it was winter and the weather was unpredictable, Thorin could not afford to wait. Despite Dis insisting on someone accompanying him, he had told her he would be fine and he could take care of himself. She hadn't been convinced, especially after what happened to her husband, but unfortunately several dwarves had influenza, and no one could accompany him. And they had really needed the money._

_When Thorin had finished the elaborate sword, he had gone to the customer and presented his work. The customer looked the sword over with a critical eye, but Thorin was among the best and there were no flaws in the work. He hummed, then called for someone in the back. Four large men came out to look at the sword, and their comments on the exceptional quality made Thorin straighten up with pride. _

_But, as the customer looked at Thorin, an evil smile crept on his face. Thorin's eyes grew wide, and his hand shot toward his sword hilt. But before Thorin could draw his sword, the four men had tackled him to the ground. He tried to fight them off, but the men were strong and fast. The customer began to yell "Thief!" and several more men joined the fray. _

_Thorin had been vastly outnumbered, and, though several of the men came away with bloody noses and broken jaws, they succeeded in pinning him down and tying him up. He was taken to the mayor of Bree, who happened to be very close company with the customer's daughter. There was a trial, and it was determined by all the "witnesses" that the sword in question was stolen from the man's possession three months ago. _

_In truth, a sword identical to it had been stolen from the man by a random human thief, but the customer professed a hatred of dwarves and had secretly commissioned a skilled dwarf to make it so that he could blame said dwarf instead, and earn a handsome sword in return without having to pay for it. He had heard that Thorin was among the best, and had sought him out. He had known that he could not fool a dwarf with fake gold and so had paid his deposit with real gold coin, but he had a mind to demand a fine from the dwarf greater than the cost which he had paid him. _

_Thorin had tried to defend himself, even insisting on them looking at his "maker's mark" which he put on all his swords, but every witness had owed the wealthy man money and their debts were promised to be cleared if they testified against him. Since no one present was willing to back his maker's mark or his story, he was thrown in jail, and the sword and all the coin he had on his person was taken from him to pay the fine. While in the jail, he was flogged and given only moldy bread and stale water. _

_By Eru's grace, Dwalin had arrived in Bree two days after the "trial" and heard about it. Most humans were very intimidated by the burly dwarf and his axes, and few dared to cross him. He managed, with the help of those who had traveled with him, namely Gloin, Bofur, and Balin, to break into the jail and free Thorin. They escaped with the injured dwarf king in the middle of the night, and were several leagues away by the time the bound and gagged jailer was found. _

_The plot was found out a few months later when the real thief was caught, and the Mayor of Bree was unseated and all the men involved arrested. A formal emissary with a written apology had been sent to the Blue Mountains, along with the elaborate sword and the gold that had been taken from Thorin. The emissary had been lucky to leave with his head still attached to his shoulders, but Thorin had remembered that he had been one of the few who had tried to stop the men from binding him, and had allowed him to leave with all his body parts intact. However, the dwarves had no business dealings with men of Bree for many, many years after that. And Thorin had a hard time trusting humans from that point on. But, they had to eat, and Thorin was forced to continue to work in the villages of men near the mountains. However, he never delivered any orders with less than six dwarves with him after that. _

Kili remembered all too well the stories. Some men had been fair in their dealings with the dwarves. But most looked upon them with scorn, and tried to pay less than what the dwarves felt their wares were worth. And the dwarves hadn't had too much choice in the matter in the end, since their families depended on them to provide food and clothing.

_If she says that I don't owe her anything, then does that mean she released me from my debt? _Kili signed, a questioning gaze in his expression. Fili looked just as confused as he did and shrugged.

_I don't know, brother. I don't know. _He signed back. They reached the company's chambers and began to gather their things up for the early morning ahead of them.

XXX

As Lord Elrond promised, a servant brought Cirashala some traveling things that evening. Among them were two grey wool tunics that laced up the front, two pairs of dark brown leggings, a pair of black leather boots that reached up to just below her knees, a lightweight grey wool cloak, a leather corset, underwear, several thick cloths Cirashala guessed were for private matters, and four pair of wool knit socks.

There was also a leather pack, a wooden delicately carved comb, two bars of soap, a few washcloths, a few spare rolls of bandages and a crock with some salve in it. The servant explained that the bandages and salve were for her wounds and she needed to apply it every evening with fresh bandages for a week until the bite finished healing. Cirashala looked at all the things wide eyed. She thanked the servant profusely, and asked her to pass the thanks on to Lord Elrond. The servant nodded.

"Lord Elrond also wishes to ask what weapons you have training in, so that you will be able to protect yourself on the road," she added, and Cirashala's eyes widened.

"Um," she stammered, "I-I don't have much training. I have a little bit with a bow, and a little with a double bladed sword, but I really don't have much." The servant nodded.

"What is your draw weight for a bow and your weight for a sword?" she asked. Cirashala blushed and lowered her eyes.

"Only 25 pounds for a bow, and I have never held a real sword, just a training one," she muttered, embarrassed that it was so low. She was strong and despite her shorter stature could pick up 70 pounds or so easily, if not more, but the muscles used to draw a bow were not all the same muscles used to pick up children and other things, and her low draw weight reflected that. The elf nodded, and quickly left the room.

Cirashala wondered why she had asked about her weapons training. Did they really intend to provide her with weapons as well? She was astounded at Lord Elrond's kindness, and yet could not help but feel as though she was taking advantage of the situation.

XXX

Thorin had talked with Gandalf that evening, and the plan was for the dwarves to leave at dawn. Gandalf would try to distract the elves so they could leave in secret, then he would escort the woman to Breeland before joining the dwarves in the mountains. That way, her safety was ensured until she reached a human settlement, and in Thorin's mind since she had plainly stated they didn't owe her anything, he was not honor bound to aid her beyond that.

He was still very much shocked that she had said they didn't owe her anything. She had nearly gotten herself killed protecting his nephew, and yet she released them from their blood debt? He was very puzzled. Since when does a human bother to aid the dwarves without thought of recompense? He couldn't figure it out. Honor and duty demanded he get her somewhere where she would be safe, and in his mind that was the nearest human village.

He would have been content to leave her in Rivendell, but unfortunately that would involve leaving her with elves, and though she was not a dwarf, he would not consider such a thing. He was still annoyed at Gandalf for deliberately leading them to Rivendell after he told him he refused to go there, and he figured that the side trip to return the girl to Bree (for that is where she must have come, he thought, since it was the closest place to where she had been found) would give him some peace from the wizard for a while.

The four day delay had also been chafing at him. They had gotten the answers they needed from the map the first night, and the white wizard had appeared and tried to dissuade them from the quest. At first, Thorin adamantly refused, but after three hours of going around in circles with the arrogant wizard, Thorin had subtly signed to Balin, and they agreed to return home. He did not tell the wizard that in his heart Erebor was and had always been home, so technically he did not lie. The wizard had been skeptical, but he could not get any more out of Thorin and eventually had to take him at his word. It was a bit of a low move, but Thorin would not allow the white wizard or any elf to dissuade him from the quest.

He knew Durin's day would be on them before they knew it, especially since they still had the Misty Mountains and Mirkwood forest separating them from their goal. They needed to leave, and they could not waste the precious little time they had to safely escort the girl to Bree. If he had still been bound to the blood debt, he would have had no choice. Whatever the girl's reasoning (and what little sense it made), he was glad she had released them. They could not afford any more delays.


	14. Chapter 14

_**I do not own any of the characters or the Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC) those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reull Tolkien, and without his genius, this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.**_

_**Please review! I love getting them-they keep me encouraged! J**_

Cirashala slept very restlessly, and as soon as the first pale hints of light entered the sky, her weary but surprisingly awake eyes fluttered open.

Lord Elrond had decided that it was enough that Gandalf slept in the room next to her rather than have someone with her at night now, since she was no longer unconscious and seemed to be healing well, although it would probably be another week, even with elvish salve, before her wounds healed completely.

She had been ordered to drink as much water as she could to aid in replenishing her blood supply and quell her dehydration, and she had done so all the previous day. Lord Elrond had also ordered a small bag of herbs to steep in water for the pain tea in her pack, as well as a water skin placed in her pack, and her things were now in her room, though the elvish lord had advised her to wait another week before leaving Rivendell.

Sitting up somewhat stiffly, she winced slightly as the movement tugged on her wound, but when she saw the pale blue light outside, her eyes widened.

Fearing that the dwarves would leave now that she was on the mend, and remembering that they had secretly left Rivendell very early in the movie, she stumbled out of her bed and rushed as best she could to dress herself in the travel clothes Lord Elrond had given her.

The motion of putting her arms through the arm holes on the corset (which thankfully laced up front), and afterward the tunic sleeves, caused her a bit of pain, but as soon as she had gotten up she had grabbed some of the herbs and put a pinch into a cup of water. As soon as she fastened the brown braided belt around her, she went and downed the cold tea. It nearly came back up, but somehow she managed to force it to keep down.

She went into the side room, and ducked her head under the slight stream of water that poured into the bath, wetting her hair. She dried it quickly, and ran the comb through it, before braiding it in two braids on either side of her head. She thanked the stars she was quick at braiding, and went back into her room.

Glancing nervously at the slowly brightening light, she threw her cloak on and clasped it under her chin. She reached for her pack, and stopped short in surprise. Apparently at some point during the night, the elves had brought a bow and a quiver full of blue fletched arrows, as well as a light sword that was perfectly sized for her. She picked them up and traced her fingers over the simple but carved bow, and drew back the string easily, though halfway through she winced at the pressure it put on her warg bite.

She set the bow down and unsheathed the sword, which glinted in the early morning light. She went through the basic 1-9 position sequence she knew (about the only sword training she had), though she was very careful to do it very slowly so as to not pull on her wound again. It tugged a little, but she was astounded to realize that the sword was very light as well, and easy for her to wield.

Hearing a bird begin to chirp outside, she quickly sheathed the sword, and placed the sword at her belt. She put the pack on carefully, wincing as it pulled at her wound as well. She then donned her quiver and slung the bow diagonally across her body with the string across her chest, not knowing exactly how to tie it to her quiver in such a way as to be able to draw it quickly.

Cirashala was panting heavily by the time she was done getting ready, and there were slight beads of sweat across the top of her brow. Her jaw was tight as she fought the feeling of nausea at the abuse her wound had received in her mad rush, but thankfully the tea was already beginning to work and the pain was lessening.

She reached for the door quietly, when she heard the adjoining door to her room open, and looked up to see the grey wizard looking at her pointedly.

"And just might I ask where you think you are going at this hour?" he asked her, raising an eyebrow as he leaned on his staff.

Cirashala closed her eyes in frustration. If she was delayed any more, she would miss the dwarves, and any chances of her being able to prevent changes in the time line because of her presence would be ruined.

She looked up at the wizard and her jaw set in determination. If Gandalf thought she would just stay here laying in bed while her presence in Middle-earth screwed things up further, then he had no idea that he would need saving from more than just the stubbornness of dwarves.

XXX

The company rose with the first light of dawn, and, after a very quick breakfast from their own supplies they hurriedly packed up their bedrolls and donned their weapons, before Thorin approached Bilbo.

"Burglar, did you find another way out of the valley?" Thorin asked. Bilbo nodded. Seeing as the elves were not suspicious of him at all as opposed to the dwarves, Thorin had asked him to scout around as much as he could to find out if there was a path out of the valley other than the main way they had come in where they could leave unseen.

Despite being annoyed at the dwarves being so eager to leave, Bilbo had thoroughly enjoyed the chance to explore Rivendell without hearing the company complaining the entire time. Plus, he had sort of felt as though he didn't really belong with the company, and had been feeling some longing for home. It was the evening prior, when he had been doing just that, when he had stumbled across Lord Elrond's library. Not having had the opportunity to peruse it that first night (and in the dark not realizing it was a library not just a simple study), he had gotten very decidedly sidetracked, and had stepped onto a balcony only to have Lord Elrond come up behind him.

Surprisingly, the elf lord was pleasant to talk to, and Bilbo after a few seconds found himself admitting the wise elf that he didn't feel as though he belonged with the dwarves. The kind elf had offered him the chance to stay in Rivendell if he should choose, and that offer kept swimming in the back of Bilbo's mind. But, he had signed a contract, and, being the polite and respectable hobbit that he was, refused to turn his back on it, at least for the time being.

After he had met with Lord Elrond, he had come across a small white bridge over a stream, from which a path extended up away from the buildings in the valley. He had followed it for a ways, unwilling to go too far lest he step out of the safety of the valley altogether, but wanting to make sure that it did indeed lead out of the valley. After it began to climb higher and higher along the cliff face, he realized that it did indeed lead out of the valley, or so it seemed.

Thorin nodded at Bilbo's discovery, and donned his own pack. Once the company was assembled, Thorin motioned for the hobbit to lead on. Bilbo looked at the dwarf, intimidation caused by the dwarf king giving way to annoyance.

"Aren't you going to bother thanking the elves for letting us stay, and healing the girl?" Bilbo asked, but at the glare he received from the dwarf king, he immediately felt less Tookish and more Baggins and regretted asking.

Thorin brushed aside him and didn't even answer the question. He looked over his shoulder, and called out to the hobbit.

"Mr. Baggins?" he said rather sternly. Bilbo sighed and his shoulders slumped a bit as he made his way to the front to lead the company out of the elven valley.

XXX

Cirashala faced the wizard with an icy glare.

"I am going to ask the dwarves if I can accompany them on their quest," she stated bluntly, "They need all the help they can get." She looked the tall wizard in the eye.

"I won't let you stop me, Gandalf," she said. The wizard regarded her with an unreadable gaze.

"How do you know about their quest?" he asked her, and her eyes widened slightly, before saying simply, "Why else would Thorin Oakenshield be going east?"

Gandalf looked at her, and shook his head, before letting out what suspiciously sounded like a chuckle. Cirashala wasn't quite sure what to make of it, and looked at him confused, her feet shuffling in her anticipation to find the dwarves before they left.

"There is more to you than meets the eye, or I am no wizard," he replied, his eyes twinkling. "I daresay you are far more stubborn than even those thick headed dwarves." She stared boldly at him, raising an eyebrow.

"I won't let you stop me, Tharkûn," she repeated, addressing him by the name the dwarves know him as this time. Gandalf stopped chuckling and eyed her with curiosity.

"Interesting that you, a human girl if I am correct, know my name among the dwarves," he said. "Where did you hear me called such?" Cirashala felt her stomach drop a bit. How could she tell Gandalf that she had heard it from all the Tolkien lore and books she had read over the years without giving everything away? She settled for a riddle, remembering the part in the Lord of the Rings where Gandalf had a spot of_ trouble_ deciphering the riddle at the west gate of Moria with the Fellowship.

_"Legends pass over hill and under dale,_

_ across river and into vale,_

_ over mountain and under stone._

_ Ages go by, til songs fade and stories are grown. _

_Those then who choose to open the door _

_will hear the legends speak again once more_."

She was very glad she could come up with one so quickly, so she didn't have to lie to the wizard. She doubted he would miss it if she did. What she had said was completely true. Legends get written down into books (in this case, it is Tolkien's legendarium), and if one wants the answers, one could read and discover the legends again.

The wizard regarded her with deep wisdom in his eye, and chuckled.

"Yes, indeed. There is most definitely more to you than meets the eye. If not for your height, I could mistake you for a hobbit with that excellent riddle," he replied, then looked at her with a slight glint in his eye. The company may yet have need of her with what they will potentially be facing.

Smaug was not a stupid dragon by any means, and from what he had already seen, her cleverness could be used to their advantage. It was too bad she wasn't a hobbit as well, but they still had Bilbo, providing the hobbit didn't start longing for home too much. Gandalf didn't think he would abandon the dwarves, but if the dwarves continued to question Gandalf's decision to include the hobbit, he may very well be led to it.

"If you wish to hurry, you may yet catch them," the wizard replied, smiling. "But I would not get your hopes up. Thorin is a very stubborn dwarf, and like all of his kin, he is very protective of women, especially when said woman saves the life of his nephew. Whether he admits to it or not is of no consequence. I fear you will have to be very clever with your words indeed if you wish to persuade him to allow a woman to join his company."

Cirashala let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, and gave Gandalf a thankful look.

"Thank you, Gandalf," she said. She turned to leave, before her cheeks reddened slightly as she realized she did not even know where the dwarves' chamber was, nor did she know where the path was they would be using to leave the valley. "Um, do you by any chance know where the path is that the dwarves are planning to use to leave the valley?" The wizard smiled.

"I believe the path you are looking for can be found this way," he said, leading out the door.

XXX

He led her through several hallways and up and down stairs, until they came to a short stair going down into a beautiful garden, before placing his hand on his shoulder and stopping her.

"The path you wish to take is just across a white bridge straight through the trees ahead," he whispered. "I must leave you and make sure the dwarves are able to leave the valley unnoticed. I cannot aid you further." She nodded in understanding.

"Ni lassoui, Mithrandir" she said in elvish, hoping she got the words right for "thank you" before bringing her hand up to her chest and back down again, and Gandalf smiled.

_More than meets the eye indeed,_ he thought as he watched her head toward the trees, before he turned to intercept any elves curious as to the whereabouts of their "guests".

XXX

The dwarves were just crossing the bridge when a loud snap caused them to turn around. The only dwarves who had not crossed the bridge yet were Fili and Kili, the latter having just stepped onto the bridge with his brother behind him. Not seeing the source of the disturbance, Thorin signed in igleshmek to Kili to circle around the place where they had heard the twig snap, since he was the lightest and therefore most silent footed of the dwarves.

Fili took cover behind a tree close to the bridge and drew his falchions silently, in case anyone was able to evade his brother's arrows. It was also so he would be hidden from sight, as opposed to completely open if he was to try and cross the bridge now.

Kili circled around quickly and as silently as he could. He had almost drawn his bow, but thought about the elves and their very keen eyesight and skill with bows, and thought better of it. He would likely be shot before he could even see his adversary. He kept his hand at the ready though, prepared to draw his sword quickly in case something went wrong.

He could hear light footsteps approaching, and saw a grey hooded figure with a bow and quiver on his back. The fabric was wool, but there were some slight patterns of leaves and vines along the edges of the cloak and on what little he saw of the tunic.

_Definitely an elf, albeit a young one,_ he thought to himself, _though he does carry his bow somewhat oddly. _

He knew they could not afford to be caught now, so he crept up behind the young elf, a little surprised that the elf hadn't seem to hear him coming. Elves were supposedly very good at sensing others near them, but apparently that was a myth. This elf certainly wasn't paying attention to his surroundings at all. _Better warriors than dwarves, indeed_, he smirked to himself.

The hunter and his quarry were nearing the bridge, and Kili knew the company was coiled and ready to spring, though he could hardly see them in the underbrush. Thankfully there didn't seem to be anyone else with the elf, so perhaps they could simply tie him loosely to a tree with a gag so that he couldn't betray the dwarves' position, but yet be able to get out of his bonds after the dwarves had left the valley.

Three steps, two one, then Kili jumped up and grabbed the elf from behind, covering his mouth with his left hand as Kili's other arm coiled around his chest. The elf screamed, though it was muffled by the hand over his face, and reacted surprisingly quickly, each move happening in quick succession.

Kili felt a rush of air leave his lips as a sharp elbow collided with his midsection, followed by a hard head slamming his face. Kili's head snapped back at the collision, and he felt warm, sticky liquid began to stream out of his nose as the elf stamped hard on the inside of his foot. He cried out, but that cry was immediately silenced as the elf brought his fist down hard-right in Kili's groin, causing the young dwarf to let go of him and fall to his knees, his face twisted in pain.

Fili jumped out of his hiding place with his falchions raised and rushed at the elf with a loud growl. He stopped short, his eyes widening and his mouth falling open as the startled "elf" cried out and jumped back, her hood falling off her head as she tripped over a tree root and landed on the ground with a gasp. Grabbing her wounded side, she scrambled back, opposite arm raised in defense. She looked at Kili curled up on the ground, and her eyes widened as big as saucers as her face turned white for a moment. Then she blushed a deep crimson to the roots of her hair, mortified that she had just defensively beat up the very person who's life she saved only a few days ago.

XXX

Kili hadn't expected the elf to react so quickly-or so well. Before he knew it he was hunched over on the ground, holding his gushing nose and curling in on himself, groaning. He saw Fili jump out of his hiding place at the corner of his eye, before stopping short.

_Wha- why isn't he doing anything?_ Kili thought, confused. He looked toward the "elf" and his eyes widened when he realized who it was he had grabbed.

Having heard the commotion, the company jumped out of their hiding places and rushed over the bridge, before stopping short and gaping as they realized who it was that Kili had attacked. After a few seconds, Fili blinked and looked over at his brother, sheathing his weapons before rushing to his brother's side.

"Kee, are you all right?" he asked, reaching down to grasp his brother's arm and help him stand up. Kili nodded and hissed as Fili grabbed his cut, but thankfully his brother attributed his grimace to his more _recent_ injuriesand didn't say anything about it.

The dwarves quickly eyed Kili, making sure he was more or less all right, before fourteen pairs of very surprised eyes turned toward the girl sitting on the ground. She looked at them, unable to look them in the eyes, before her gaze settled on Kili, who was still holding his bleeding nose. She managed to get on her knees, and bowed low at the waist, grimacing as the movement put undue pressure on her cut.

"M-my lord! I-I'm so sorry! Forgive me, I-I didn't know it was you!" she rushed out. She sat up, and looked into the stern face of Thorin, and shut her eyes, groaning under her breath.

_Well, this was certainly a great way to convince Thorin to let me join the quest, _she thought to herself, moaning internally. _Just beat the crap out of his nephew who was almost killed three days ago. Good move, you idiot!_

"What do you think you are doing, girl?" Thorin asked her sternly, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "You need to be resting until your wound is healed, then returning back to where you came from. The wilds are no place for a woman." She looked up at the dwarf king, before standing up and straightening her shoulders, biting back a whimper.

She looked the dwarf King in the eye, then drew her sword, causing several of the dwarves to reach for their weapons, before stabbing the sword in the ground and kneeling. The dwarves looked at her in surprise, and began to glance back and forth between her and Thorin. Her words came out in a rush, hoping to get all said before Thorin had a chance to interrupt her.

"Please let me come with you. You don't even have to pay me anything. I promise I won't eat much, and I will work harder than anyone else. I will do whatever you need me to do. I don't have much training with weapons, but I will practice all night long every night if necessary, and I swear I will keep up-I won't slow you down, I promise." She took a deep breath.

"Just please, please don't leave me with the elves," she almost whispered, swallowing hard as she looked up at the dwarf king, a pleading look in her blue eyes.


	15. Chapter 15

_**I do not own any of the characters or the Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC) those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reull Tolkien, and without his genius, this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.**_

_**Please review! I love getting them-they keep me encouraged! J**_

Thorin regarded the girl before him with an unreadable expression on his face. The company looked to him to see what he would say.

Many of them were in full agreement that they did not trust the elves enough to leave her in their care, especially after she had rescued the young prince from being mauled to death by a warg. However, that very same protectiveness most of the company felt towards her out of honor and respect caused them to be wary of bringing her with them, knowing what awaited them once they reached the Mountain.

"Who are you?" Thorin asked her, his tone demanding answers. "And how did you know to follow us?"

"I had a feeling you would leave after the strange look you gave me when you left my room yesterday," she replied, trying to keep her voice steady despite her side still causing her some slight twinges of pain. The elf drought had mostly kicked in but not quite all the way yet.

"As to who I am, I am called Cirashala, and I am at your service, Thorin Oakenshield, King Under the Mountain." She bowed again amidst astonished gasps from the company. Thorin's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Why do you address me by that title?" Thorin replied after a moment, wondering exactly how she knew who he was, and why she would give him a title that wasn't officially his yet until he was crowned and swore his oath as King.

"Because you are Thorin, son of Thrain, Son of Thrór, King in exile of Erebor and of Durin's folk," she replied, looking at him in confusion. Balin looked at her curiously.

"He has not been crowned king, lass," he replied, glancing to Thorin. "Erebor has not been our home since long before you were born." He was determined that the girl should not know of their quest, and acted as though they were simply on a journey. She looked at Balin, inclining her head in respect.

"I suppose the dragon would not have allowed it formally, but there are many who still follow him as such, since both Thrór and Thrain perished at the battle of Azanulbizar, from what I have been led to understand," she replied, and even Thorin's eyes went wide as she spoke and the company fell silent.

"A-are you a dwarf, lass?" Bofur asked her after a moment. The company stared wide eyed at her in confusion. She shook her head.

"No, but that does not mean I have not heard of the sacking of Erebor, and of the battle," she replied, "And I know what it feels like to lose everything." Her voice wavered slightly, and she looked down for a moment, before looking up slightly misty eyed and swallowing hard.

"I buried my husband and my two baby girls," she whispered, wiping her eyes quickly before tears could fall. "I lost my home, my family, everything. It's gone, all of it."She paused for a brief moment, then continued, her voice gaining strength as she looked the dwarf king in the eye.

"I swear I will protect each and every one of you with my life," she said, and looked at the company before her eyes returned to Thorin. He sighed.

"Gir-Cirashala, you do not know what you are asking," he replied, "You do not know what you will be facing should you join our company." She stood up and sheathed her sword, looking Thorin in the eye as her jaw set determinedly.

"I have lost everything I ever knew. I have faced a warg with a dagger and didn't think twice about it, as you so kindly pointed out," she mentioned, causing a slight snort from Kili, who was instantly shushed by his brother. Thorin gave him a warning glare, before turning back to the girl. He opened his mouth to speak, but she continued on, heedless of his attempt at interrupting her.

"Yet, I am still standing here. I am not afraid of a dragon." Thorin's eyes widened, and he cast an angry glance at the burglar, who looked just as confused as everyone else.

"How do you know of our quest?" the dwarf asked angrily, glaring at her as the company glanced around them, searching for any eavesdroppers.

"Why else would you and your kin be on the great east road?" she replied, giving the same answer she had given Gandalf. "My lord, I know I don't have much of anything. I am not nobility and I have no title. I am a mere peasant, and as such it is impossible for me to have honor. I don't have much skill with my weapons, but I have had some training, and will continue to do so as much as I can. But, I am willing, and I will remain loyal to you and your kin. My grief will not hinder me."

She bowed low at the waist. "I swear loyalty and fealty to you, my lord king, until my lord release me, or death take me," she said, and there was a collective gasp among the company as they gaped at her.

Balin looked toward Thorin, and their eyes met. Thorin remembered what he had said to Balin a month ago in Bilbo's home.

_Loyalty, honor, and a willing heart. I can ask no more than that._

He sighed, wondering if in fact he would have to tie the girl to a tree, before the girl's eyes widened and she turned her head toward the direction she came from.

"Someone's coming, she whispered, and the dwarves looked in the same direction she was in confusion. But after a moment, they too heard the slight rustling. Her eyes locked with the dwarf king.

"Go," she whispered, "I will distract them so you can leave." Thorin turned toward the company.

"Move, quickly!" he whispered loudly. The dwarves hurried across the bridge and continued on up the path that led out of the valley. Fili and Kili cast a glance at the girl, then at their uncle, their eyes uncertain. Thorin sighed again as the girl got up and nodded at them before starting to walk back toward the noise. He glanced at the lads, then at the girl, and nodded reluctantly. They looked at each other, relief on their faces, before reaching out and grabbing her hands.

They turned her around, and she looked at the two young dwarves, confusion in her face. Kili smiled slightly and tilted his head toward the retreating company. She looked at Fili, who gave her a wink, before the two lads all but dragged her toward the disappearing dwarves.

XXX

The three caught up with the dwarves quickly, before the entire group walked up the path at a fast pace. Cirashala's side had finally stopped twinging, thanks to the elven pain draught, however she was a bit breathless as they went higher and higher up the side of the cliffs overlooking Rivendell. And she had no doubt her legs would pay dearly for it tomorrow as well, not used to ascending such steep slopes.

The path had narrowed, forcing the trio in the back to walk in a single line. Fili walked ahead of her, while Kili took up the rear. Towards the top, Cirashala saw Bilbo look back on the peaceful valley with longing, and she completely understood. She had begged Thorin to not leave her with the elves, not because she wouldn't love to stay in the beautiful valley, but because of both the quest and her desire to earn her own way instead of taking advantage of their wonderful hospitality. Unlike Thorin, she had at least asked Gandalf to thank Lord Elrond and the elves for her.

The company reached the top of the path, and was able to spread out a bit for a moment. Several of them, Dwalin and Thorin mainly, looked back down the path to make sure they weren't being followed. Thorin then turned toward Cirashala.

"Go back, girl. We let you come with us to avoid discovery, but this quest really is no place for a woman," he said. She bit her lip, and looked down. The sunlight caught the heart shaped diamond in her ring, and her eyes misted. She tugged it off and looked for a minute at it, swallowing her pain before very reluctantly holding it out to the dwarf King.

"If you would allow me to accompany you until I can reach Laketown, this," her voice wavered as she held up the ring, "Is yours. It is not much, but it's all I have left." Thorin stared at her, before looking down at the ring, eyes widening when he saw the heart shaped diamond in the center.

"Is that your wedding ring, lass?" Bofur asked, peering slightly over the dwarf king's shoulder, before looking at her. She nodded, brushing the tear that fell unwanted down her cheek, before straightening her shoulders.

"I do not know the way to Laketown," she said softly, "I-I do not want to get lost, and you are the only people I know of who are traveling that way. There is nothing left for me in Eriador." She bit her lip again as she looked up at Thorin. He sighed loudly, before meeting her gaze.

"If you do not keep up, we will leave you behind," he said, "You are responsible for yourself and your own safety. I will not allow my men to become distracted to protect you." She nodded. He passed her in a bit of a huff, grumbling under his breath. She didn't catch what was said, and had a feeling she probably didn't want to know.

XXX

Kili heard what his uncle said about distractions, and swallowed, flushing a bit as Thorin cast a side glance at him. He avoided his gaze and looked at the ground. No doubt Thorin was thinking of his decision to take the injured girl to Rivendell four days prior when he said that to her.

Still, he was somewhat relieved that she had been allowed to accompany them. He still wasn't sure his blood debt had been released (or even if she knew he owed her one), and it would be far easier to keep his honor regarding the debt if she was nearby. He shared a look with his brother, and could tell he was thinking the same thing. The group moved out, Thorin eager to put some distance between them and the elven valley.

She hesitated, before falling in line somewhere in the middle of the group. It wasn't long before Kili and Fili had made their way up behind her. Fili looked at the way she had slung her bow across her shoulders, and signed to Kili in igleshmek.

_That's not the way to stow a bow over one's shoulder, is it?_ He signed. Kili shook his head.

_No, it's not. There are ties on the quiver for that. I don't know why she just threw it across her shoulder,_ he signed back, looking at the girl with a little bit of confusion.

_Do you think she even knows how to use it?_ Fili asked. Kili shrugged.

_I have no idea. She said she has some weapons training, but I wonder just how much,_ he replied.

_Or how little, _Fili glanced at her.

_Do we still owe her a blood debt? _Kili asked. Fili shrugged his shoulders and shook his head as if to indicate that he wasn't sure.

_I don't know, little brother, _he signed. Kili's brow furrowed in thought, before he smiled widely and met his brother's eyes.

_Maybe we could teach her, _he said. Fili shook his head.

_No, Thorin said that she was responsible for her own safety, _he signed. _I don't think he would want us to. _

_But he didn't say that we couldn't train her, _Kili argued. _He only said that we couldn't get distracted protecting her. I don't see why we can't train her after we set up camp and eat when others are on watch. _

_Well, if we do still owe her a blood debt, it will be wise to ensure that she can defend herself at least, _Fili agreed. _It would make our job easier. But if Thorin gets angry at us for doing so, it's your fault. _

Kili was fine with that. If her being able to defend herself helped him protect her to fulfill his blood debt, then he was willing to risk it. Besides, being an archer himself, seeing her bow slung over her shoulder the way it is was driving him absolutely crazy. If anything, he desperately needed to show her how to tie her bow to her quiver properly, otherwise he might just be tempted to grab it off of her and do it himself.

_But_, he thought to himself wryly as he felt his still tender nose (which_ finally_ stopped bleeding, thank Mahal), _I really don't want to get beat up again. _


	16. Chapter 16

_**I do not own any of the characters or the Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC) those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reull Tolkien, and without his genius, this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.**_

_**Please review! I love getting them-they keep me encouraged! J**_

Thorin looked to Balin, and indicated to him to lead on, as he had asked him ten minutes before. The dwarves, Cirashala, and Bilbo began their long march toward the looming mountains. Cirashala looked up and stared at them in awe.

She had lived in many places across the western United States where she was from, and had lived around mountains for probably about half her life, give or take. She had lived in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains as a young teen, and yet they could not compare to the majestic mountains before her.

Their tall, snowcapped peaks reached higher than she remembered the Rockies did, and the veils of mist that gave them their name reached around their heights. She could only see them for a moment, before the path came out in a forest filled with tall pine trees, blocking her sight.

They marched through the trees on a barely discernible path for what seemed like a very long time to Cirashala. Though she had hiked quite a bit when she had been younger, after having children she hadn't been able to reach that level of endurance back. Her severe illness during the pregnancies had caused her to place herself on at least half time bed rest, and by the time her second daughter was born, she had lost most of her endurance.

She could definitely feel that lack of endurance as well as the effects new boots, and was pretty sure she would be ending up with blisters before the day was out. But, she had promised that she would keep up, no matter what. And she intended to do just that. She did not want to be left behind, and she had little doubt that Thorin would be true to his threat. Looking up, she realized that most of the dwarves and Bilbo had already passed her up. Remembering a brief clip from the movie, her eyes widened and she quickened her pace a bit.

She silently prayed that their delay in Rivendell wouldn't put them too close to the orc pack that she knew was trying to find them. She really had no desire to meet wargs again anytime soon, especially a white one with a certain pale orc for a rider.

XXX

Kili trailed toward the end of the line. He scanned the trees from time to time, hoping to spot something he could shoot for their meal when they made camp that evening. He spotted several squirrels, and while they weren't bad for eating, he was hoping for something a little more substantial.

Nori had been rather _successful_ as it were procuring rations for their journey the night before they left, including some meat, but fresh meat often tasted far better than salted, at least in Kili's opinion. Salted was far better than no meat at all, but it needed lots of soaking before the salty taste washed away enough to be palatable. Fresh meat was also typically less tough, therefore it could be roasted, whereas the salted meat often had to be stewed in order to soften it enough.

Kili's mind trailed toward the thought of the smell of freshly roasted meat wafting through their home in the Blue Mountains as he and his brother would arrive home from training, and his mouth began to water at the thought. He could imagine his mother leaning over the fire, turning the spit as the meat sizzled and the drips of fat splashed down into the fire below with a hiss.

He was so deep in his thought he didn't notice the path curving, and ran smack into a tree.

"Ow!" He jumped back, rubbing his still tender nose amidst snorts and chuckles from some members of the company. He threw a glare at the amused parties, before stalking past them in a huff, rounding the corner he had missed the first time. His cheeks reddened, and he lowered his head slightly, not wishing anyone to see his embarrassment.

"What a graceful lad, he is!" Gloin chuckled.

"Aye, that's true enough!" Nori chimed in.

The snickers behind continued, and Cirashala looked ahead of her at the slumped shoulders of the young dwarf. She sighed, and did not laugh. She debated on asking him if he was all right, but decided against it, figuring his pride was wounded enough without having someone mention it further.

She felt bad for the young dwarf, for she knew exactly how it felt to be laughed at. She had been badly bullied in school, and it seemed no matter where she went kids were the same regardless. She was always the outsider, always the strange child. Even with her two younger sisters, she was an outcast. The bullying had been mostly taunts and vicious rumors, but a few had gone even further to feign friendship only to betray her after and one or two had increased it to public humiliation.

"Been around the elves too long laddie? Wanted to get a closer look at nature?" Gloin snickered loudly.

"He was dressed like an elf the other day," Nori continued, a gleam in his eye. "Maybe he was around them so long he started to turn into one! After all, he does look a little bit like an elf. Isn't that right, Mister Gloin?" The two dwarves erupted in bellows, Gloin slapping his knees loudly as Nori threw an arm over his friend's shoulders.

Cirashala saw Kili freeze, before gripping his bow tighter in his hand and continuing on. They walked a few more paces, and the wind shifted, blowing in her face instead of from behind, and she heard it. It was so quiet it was barely perceptible, but she heard it. A slight sniffle, and it came from Kili's direction.

She felt anger bubble up, and her fists clenched. Her jaw tightened and she slowed her step until she came sidelong to Gloin and Nori. She walked next to them for a minute before clearing her throat, causing both dwarves to look at her, their eyes still dancing with mirth as their chuckles died down. She kept her demeanor calm, hoping not to incite the wrath of the quick tempered Gloin so soon upon her joining the company, but determined to end the cruel jests directed at Kili.

"You have a question, lass?" Gloin asked her. She nodded, crossing her arms casually.

"Forgive me for intruding, but I was curious about your joke. I know I am somewhat new to this company, and I will admit that dwarf humor is something I may not understand," she said quietly, though her voice was edged with steel. "Is taunting often done in jest among dwarves, or are the words meant to hurt?" She emphasized the last word, before shooting them an icy glare. The two dwarves stared at her for a moment, before Gloin's visage hardened.

"And who are you to be judging my humor?" he asked her angrily, gripping his axe. "Are you implying that I was intending to harm to my prince?" Nori glared at her as well, and the whole company stopped short and stared at the two. Thorin, Dwalin, and Balin, who were at the very front, had not heard the exchange, and looked back confused. The dwarves who did took a defensive stance and Cirashala could feel the eyes of nearly the entire company boring into her.

"No! No, I wasn't, master Gloin," she replied quickly, bowing low. "I was merely trying to understand the joke you and your friend shared, for it was beyond me. Forgive me if my words offended you, for they were not intended to do any harm. If they did, I humbly apologize." She straightened back up, and looked at the red haired dwarf tentatively, who narrowed his eyes at her. He stared her down for a moment, before shouldering his axe and continued walking with a huff. Nori followed suit.

Thorin cleared his throat, staring pointedly at the company, and rest of them turned and began to walk again. Taking a shaky breath, she began to walk, but only made it a few paces when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She stopped and looked to the side as Fili came into view beside her.

"Thank you," he whispered. His eyes met hers, and she could see the gratitude in his gaze. He released her shoulder and marched ahead, joining his brother. He placed his hand on his brother's shoulder, and the two looked at each other for a split second before continuing on as though nothing had happened.

XXX

In truth, Gloin and Nori's words had hurt Kili. In fact, they had hurt a_ lot_. He had heard the cruel jests before, many times before.

_The first time it had happened, Kili and Fili had gone to the marketplace on an errand from their mother. They were so excited to be able to do so, it being their first time in the marketplace without her. Fili went up to the grocer and was giving him the list his mother had given him, when Kili had spotted a rather rambunctious pup running around in the street. He loved dogs, though his mother would not let him keep one, and this one looked like a fun playmate._

_Unknown to Fili, he took off after the pup, chasing it all the way through the marketplace. It went under tables and around corners, with the energetic lad right behind it, until it stopped in the middle of a group of dwarflings playing a game of tag and began to scratch its ear._

_Most of the dwarflings were older than Kili, their parents nowhere to be seen as they were deemed old enough to play on their own. Kili had gotten distracted by the young lads playing and had almost forgotten about the pup, who, after taking care of its itch, began to prance around the group of youngsters. Kili suddenly remembered the pup as it began to bark wildly while running through the legs of the dwarflings and in general making a nuisance of itself. _

_He chased after the pup, but after an accidental kick from a youngster who wasn't quite tall enough for the pup's attempt at running under his legs, the pup scurried away, and Kili lost sight of it. He realized suddenly that he was right in the middle of the group of dwarflings, who had stopped playing and were now eyeing him curiously. A few of them snickered, and Kili wondered why, until a large black haired boy with freckles and a rather impressive beard for a child stepped forward. _

_"What's this?" he asked, and folded his arms as he smirked at Kili. "A little elfling come to join our fun?" The group snickered, and Kili looked up at the boy in confusion, brows furrowed together._

_"I am not an elf!" he said. "I am a dwarf, see?" He pointed to the slight wisps of a beard by his ears, and the snickers got louder. _

_"You call __**that**__ a beard?" the boy asked him. "Even girl dwarves have more of a beard than that!" The group erupted in outright laughter as they pointed at Kili, whose wide brown eyes looked up at them in shock._

_"I am a boy!" he cried, blinking back tears. "I am not a girl!" His lower lip trembled as his eyes flitted around, looking for Fili. His brother was nowhere in sight._

_"Look at the little elf!" one of them hollered. "He's going to cry!"_

_"Such a pretty one!" another called out, and a few of them whistled at him. The large boy looked around at the snickering group, before eyeing the little dwarfling with a gleam in his eye. _

_"Are you sure you're not a girl?" he asked, a wicked smile gracing his face as he looked Kili up and down. _

_Kili nodded fervently, his breaths becoming faster at the strange expression on the boy's face. He began to back away from him slowly, forgetting he was surrounded, until he backed right into two more boys. They immediately grabbed his arms and held on tight. Kili struggled as the large boy drew near, fear coursing through him._

_But, no matter how he struggled, he could not free himself. The boy stopped in front of Kili and smirked, before grabbing his chin and looking him right in the eye. Kili tried to turn his head but the boy's grip was too strong. His eyes widened in fear. _

_"Yup, definitely half elf," the boy said triumphantly, before patting Kili's cheek roughly. He grabbed Kili's chin again. _

_"And definitely a girl, from the looks of it," he added, smirking again. The other boys laughed. Kili's eyes got large, and his face grew hot. _

_"I am not a girl! I swear!" Kili replied, attempting to kick the large boy, who sidestepped it easily. _

_"Care to prove it?" he asked. Kili's face paled, and he shook his head back and forth quickly. His eyes grew very wide as the older boy reached for the laces on his trousers, and his eyes scrunched closed as he screamed at the top of his lungs._

_"NO! FEE!" he cried, fighting the boys holding him as much as he could, but to no avail. He felt the black haired boy start pulling on his trouser laces, and tears slipped out from under Kili's scrunched eyelids as he desperately screamed Fili's name repeatedly._

_Suddenly, there was a loud shout, and Kili could feel the boy's hands let go of the laces. He opened his eyes, and saw his brother on the ground trying to pin his would be attacker. Fili was shorter than the boy, but, unlike slender Kili, had the broad shoulders and muscle of a dwarfling. Adding to Fili's physical capability was his fierce anger at the mistreatment of his brother, and within a matter of seconds, Fili had pinned the boy down and begun to hit him in the face repeatedly until the older boy screamed for mercy. _

_The two boys that had been holding Kili let go and ran, as did the rest of the group when they saw several adults rushing to the scene. Kili held up his now loosened pants with one hand, trying to lace them up with his shaking fingers. He managed it just as Dwalin pulled a roaring Fili off the now sobbing boy. _

_The blubbering dwarfling just laid there and moaned as he clutched at his face. A very angry dwarf woman pushed her way through the crowd, glaring daggers at Fili, and helped him sit up shakily. Kili looked at his attacker, who was sporting a rapidly darkening eye and clutching a misshapen and bloody nose as he whimpered in his mother's arms. _

_"Fili, calm down!" Dwalin yelled angrily as Fili thrashed about in his arms, causing Dwalin to struggle to keep from dropping him. The dwarf mother stood up, hands on her hips and fury in her gaze._

_"Is he yours?" she asked Dwalin, gesturing to Fili, who was beginning to cease his struggles, though he still glared daggers at the boy. Dwalin shook his head._

_"No, he isn't mine, but I know his mother and uncle well," Dwalin replied, setting Fili down but still keeping a tight hold on his arm. The angry woman pointed again toward Fili. _

_"That child nearly killed my son!" she shouted, and Dwalin held up his free hand. Kili could see him tense, and despite being young knew why. Dwarf mothers could be absolutely feral when it came to the safety of their children, and even burly warriors such as Dwalin knew better than to provoke a dwarf mother's ire. He had seen it all too well with his own mother. He would even venture to guess that Dwalin feared Dis greatly when it came to her sons. _

_"Now, lass, I am sure there is an explanation. This boy would never harm another unless there was good reason," he said, before glaring down at Fili. "Well, lad?" he asked in a stern voice. Fili glared at the bloodied boy. _

_"He and his friends called Kili a girl and an elf!" he cried. "His friends were holding Kili's arms and he was trying to unlace Kili's trousers!" _

_"He's lying!" the boy cried, pointing to Fili. Dwalin narrowed his eyes at the boy. The boy's mother's face turned red._

_"My son would do no such thing!" she shouted at Dwalin. _

_"I saw young Kili lacing up his trousers as I ran over here," one of the dwarf ladies in the crowd spoke up. Several others in the crowd spoke their agreement, and one of the boys who had been watching stepped forward nervously. _

_"Fili's right," the boy said, visibly shaking. "I saw the whole thing. Bordin did what Fili said." _

_"I did not!" Bordin shouted through the hand that held his bloody nose. "You're a liar, too!"_

_Dwalin glared at young Bordin, narrowing his eyes. The boy trembled, before averting his eyes, and Dwalin instantly knew he was lying. He scanned the crowd, and saw Bofur. _

_"Bofur, please take young Fili and Kili home," Dwalin said. "I need to have a few words with Bordin regarding how he should treat _royalty_." Bordin's eyes widened and his face turned white, as did his mother's. Dwalin smirked at their discomfort._

_"It would be a pity should Thorin Oakenshield discover what happened to his nephew," Dwalin said, brushing his knuckle dusters nonchalantly as he eyed the woman. She immediately bowed, pushing her son forward as well, though he protested._

_"May the Princes forgive my son for the dishonorable deeds he performed today," she said, eyes on Kili. He had nodded, tear tracks visible on his face. Fili placed a protective arm around his brother as Bofur led them home. Kili's wide eyes looked up at his brother, seeing a splash of purple darkening his cheek and a bit of blood dribbling on his split lip._

_"Fee?" he asked quietly. _

_"Hm?" Fili replied. _

_"Thanks," Kili whispered. Fili squeezed his shoulder._

_"Anytime, little brother," he said, pulling him close._

Bordin had disappeared for a while, but the taunts continued. Soon, other dwarflings began to remark about Kili's sparse beard, and more than once the brothers ended up in a fight over other's questioning their mother's honor regarding Kili's parentage.

Their mother and Uncle Thorin had tried to put a stop to it, but the rumors and taunts continued behind their backs. Kili had finally learned some self control and after his mother begged him and his brother not to get into any more fights over it they had honored her request.

As they began to get immersed in their lessons and weapons training, the taunts had slowed, though they did not die completely. Rather, the two were so busy between their two activities that they hadn't been around others quite as much. They still heard them, whispers among the others who trained with them about Kili's choice of a bow, whispers in the marketplace, and whispers around the forge. Kili had tried, for his mother's sake, to just let them be. But the words still hurt.

Now, hearing them again within the company, even if they were truly meant in jest with no harm intended, brought back the same feelings of hurt and insecurity that had plagued him for years. He had known that there would be teasing after he had rejoined the company in elvish clothing, but he hadn't expected to extend beyond what had already happened in their chambers in Rivendell. Apparently he had been wrong.

He hadn't heard exactly what Cirashala had said to Gloin and Nori, but whatever it had been had made them very angry. He had seen Gloin tense and reach for his axe, and saw her lips move and bow, before Gloin and Nori walked away in a huff. They passed him without so much as a glance, let alone a snicker, much to his relief. His shoulders relaxed slightly, though he still refused to make eye contact with anyone in the company. Thorin had ordered them to continue on, and he ducked his head, not wanting anyone to know that he had been on the verge of tears.

Fili had come up behind him and put his hand on his shoulder, and Kili hadn't even bothered to hide his face. Fili knew him too well, and knew how much the taunts about being an elf hurt him. He was always there when Kili was hurting, and he would stay until he knew Kili would be all right. His eyes met Fili's, and his brother had smiled at him in reassurance as he nodded slightly. Kili smiled back, and blinked his tears away. No words had been needed.

_Anytime, little brother. _


	17. Chapter 17

_**I do not own any of the characters or the Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC) those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reull Tolkien, and without his genius, this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.**_

_**Please review! I love getting them-they keep me encouraged! J**_

They continued through the morning, and Cirashala knew she was _definitely _in for some blisters on her feet. She wished she had time to break her new boots in, but she would just have to make do. It's not like the dwarves' wide boots would fit her slender, tiny feet even if any of them had a spare pair to begin with. As for Bilbo, well, that went without even being said.

She tried not to show it as they walked, fearing if she were to limp the dwarves would see her as weak and unfit for the journey. But she would make it a point when they stopped to slip an extra pair of socks on and hope that could prolong it some.

She was very glad the taunting had stopped. She didn't like how she had to make enemies of two members of the company so quickly in order to do so, but at least Kili looked a bit better than he had before. He was up ahead of her, so she couldn't see his face, but his shoulders were no longer slumped and his head wasn't bowed.

Thorin came to a stop up ahead in a small clearing in the trees, and called a rest.

"Thank goodness!" she heard Bilbo mutter beside her, dropping his pack in the tall grass with a soft thump. She understood exactly how he felt as her feet ached. She had found a seemingly decent spot in the shade of a pine when Thorin's voice rang out.

"Fili! Kili! I want you to scout ahead a bit and see if the stream up ahead is low enough to cross," he ordered. The brothers nodded and continued on the path. Cirashala could hear the faint rushing sound of a river up ahead through the trees. She looked around at the other dwarves, who had pulled out what looked like dried meat and bread and were eating heartily.

Her stomach growled loudly, and she groaned. How could she have forgotten to pack food in that morning's rush? She had told Thorin she wouldn't eat much, but she certainly hadn't planned on eating nothing at all! She sighed, and glanced at her still empty water skin hanging from the bottom of her pack, remembering Lord Elrond's words.

_You must drink a lot of water in the next few weeks to help replenish the blood you lost, or you will get very lightheaded and may become very ill. _

She sighed again, and got up, wincing at her warg bite tugging a bit as the effects of the pain tea that morning had slowly worn off. Her aching feet and legs also protested the movement, but she would not risk hindering the company by becoming ill, and had thrown up enough in the past few days that she absolutely refused to risk becoming lightheaded again.

She grabbed her water skin and began to head down the path, when Thorin's voice stopped her.

"Girl, where do you think you're going?" he growled at her from his post leaning against a tree. She looked down at her empty skin, and back at the dwarf king.

"I need to fill my water skin. It is empty," she replied, blushing a bit when a few snickers erupted from the company.

"You out already, lass?" Bofur asked good naturedly. "It's surprising that you haven't had to visit the bushes all morning at that rate!" He winked at her with a grin. She bit her lower lip slightly.

"No, i-it's just…" she stammered a bit, before sighing and slumping her shoulders in defeat. "I left my room this morning in such a hurry that I….I forgot to fill it." The snickers turned into full on laughter, and Thorin put his head in his palm with a loud, frustrated sigh. He stayed that way for a few seconds, and Cirashala felt absolutely certain he must either be counting in his head or cursing heavily in his head, quite possibly both.

"Have you never been on an adventure before lass?" Dori asked her, raising his eyebrows.

"Aye, even a halfwit knows to pack water for a journey," Gloin responded, smirking at her. Her blue eyes sparked and her jaw clenched, but she refused to let her anger show again. She _had _known that full well, having gone hiking and camping quite a lot before she had gotten married. She had simply been too distracted this morning in her rush.

She turned in a huff, continuing down the path as the chuckles continued behind her. She heard a few choice comments about her apparent lack of intelligence, and raised one eyebrow.

_I know far more than you idiots realize,_ she thought. _And I am not stupid by any means. Slightly inexperienced yes, but not stupid. _

"Who's not stupid?" she jumped, dropping her water skin, and barely refrained from screaming as Fili's question startled her. He and Kili were standing just ahead of her, and she could see the rushing water behind them. She hadn't realized she had been talking out loud, and seriously hoped that they had not heard the first part of her musings.

"Um, no one?" she replied, glaring at the two who glanced at each other, obviously trying not to laugh at startling her. She tried to pass between them, but they moved together and blocked the trail. She came to a stop, looking between the two of them.

"Where are you going?" Kili asked, his brow furrowing in confusion.

"Is the rest over already?" Fili asked, sharing a confused glance with his brother. "How long were we gone, Kee?" Kili shrugged, indicating that he didn't know.

"No, it isn't over. You haven't been gone more than ten minutes, I would say," she replied, trying again to pass them. They didn't move, and she began to get annoyed.

"You shouldn't be wandering off by yourself, lass," Fili said, crossing his arms.

"Aye, the wilds can be dangerous," Kili added. "Especially for a woman." He looked at her pointedly, glancing at her abdomen where the warg bite was before back at her face, eyes serious. She followed his gaze, then looked him in the eye.

"Well, that's why I have a bow and sword, now, isn't it?" she retorted, and Kili raised his eyebrows.

"Aye, you do, and you don't even know how to tie your bow to your quiver properly," he said, crossing his arms as well as if to dare her to contradict him.

"Do you even know how to use your weapons?" Fili asked her, cocking his head to the side as he raised his eyebrows as well. She looked down.

"I do have some training, though as my_ lord_," here she gestured toward Kili, "pointed out, I was never shown how to tie my bow to my quiver in such a manner as to draw it quickly."

"Who trained you?" Fili asked. "Why didn't they teach you that?" She sighed and looked out into the trees, before looking back at the two young dwarves.

"I just picked a bow up one day, got some arrows and a quiver, watched a few people from a distance to see how they held it, and just started shooting at targets on my own when I could spare the time. I basically taught myself," she replied. Kili looked at her with a bit of curiosity and gestured toward her sword.

"What about your sword? Who taught you that?" Kili asked. She looked down and swallowed, eyes misting a bit.

"My husband. He- he taught me a few basic stances, but he couldn't show me much. He wasn't a warrior," she answered, her voice wavering. Kili saw her grip tighten on her water skin, her knuckles turning white as she closed her eyes for a brief moment. He lowered his head.

"I am sorry," he replied softly. "I did not mean to upset you." She lifted her head, and blinked back the tears.

"It was a perfectly reasonable question, my lord," she replied quietly. "I told the king my grief would not hinder me, and it won't." She swallowed, looking at the lads.

"However, I do need to fill my water skin at the stream, so if it isn't too much trouble, would my lords please permit me to pass before the rest is over?" she asked them. Fili chuckled, and Kili smiled a bit. Their eyes locked for a moment, before they looked back at her. She could see the mischievous glint in them.

"Only if you let us come with you," Fili said, turning and making his way toward the stream. Kili followed, with Cirashala behind.

"Aye, wouldn't want you falling in," Kili added, his face seemingly innocent as he glanced back at her. She narrowed her eyes at the two, before raising her eyebrows.

"Speaking from experience?" she asked, and Fili barked a laugh, looking sidelong at Kili with a gleam in his eye. Kili sent him a warning stare, but Fili took no heed of it.

"I am not, but then again, I have always had sure footing, whereas Kili—" he gestured toward his brother, who's warning stare had turned into a glare. "Can be rather _lacking _in his ability to jump rocks, especially if there are people watching." Kili blushed, giving Fili a death glare as he shoved him in the shoulder. Fili snickered.

"That was only once, _dear brother,_ and if I recall correctly, you were supposedly showing someone your new swords, and the sun glinted off them into my eyes," he retorted.

"You still continue on with that story, now do you?" Fili grinned, winking at Cirashala as they stopped in at the edge of the stream, but frowned when saw the lack of smile on her face. Kili saw the frown on Fili's face and turned toward Cirashala, eyebrows furrowing together.

"Are you all right?" Fili asked, eyeing her as she gripped her side with her eyes tightly closed, breathing slowly. Kili's eyes widened and he reached out to grasp her arm, his face full of concern. The blood suddenly drained from her face as she wavered.

"Cirashala?" he cried out as her knees suddenly gave out from under her. Eyes wide with fear, he caught her with his other arm as the unconscious girl crumpled to the ground.

XXX

Fili grabbed her left arm as she dropped to the ground, her head listing on Kili's chest. Kili looked over her head at Fili, and their eyes locked.

"Should we get Thorin?" he asked. Fili nodded and was about to get up when she stirred.

"No," she mumbled, "Don' get Thor'n." She lifted her head slightly, bumping Kili's chin above her. He shifted, loosening his hold on her so she could lift her head more easily.

" 'm fine," she said, looking at Fili. He didn't look convinced at all.

"You just passed out. You're not fine," Fili retorted. "You almost fell in the stream." He gestured in front of her, and she She looked at the ground, and noticed Kili's lower leg and boot were in the edge of the water. His right arm was still wrapped around her front, with his hand holding her opposite arm tightly.

"M-maybe you should go back to Rivendell," Kili said. Cirashala could feel his chest rumble as his deep voice reverberated through the cavity, and shook her head.

"No," she replied stubbornly. "I'm not going back." She took a deep breath, and winced as the movement put pressure on the bite. She could feel Kili tense.

"You're still hurt," he said softly. She could hear the slight twinge of guilt in his voice, and felt bad that he had to witness such an injury inflicted. She had a feeling that was likely the first time someone had been seriously hurt right in front of him.

"Aye," Fili replied. "You received a very severe wound and nearly died. No one will think less of you should you decide to return."

"I-I just need s-some water, that's all," she said. "Lord Elrond told me I had to drink l-lots of it because of losing so m-much blood, and I forgot to fill my w-water skin." She took as deep of a breath as she dared as Fili immediately grabbed her empty skin and placed it in the stream to fill.

"You are still in pain," Kili replied, looking down at her. She looked up at him, and saw the worry in his eyes. She nodded.

"L-Lord Elrond gave me s-some pain herbs," she said, "I-I have to make them in-in a tea, but I c-couldn't without water." Fili finished filling the skin and handed it to his brother. Kili let go of her arm and brought it up to her mouth. She leaned forward, bringing her arms up to hold it as well, before taking several small sips.

The two sighed in relief as color returned to her cheeks, and Kili let go of the skin.

"Should we go get the herbs?" Fili asked, looking at her for an answer. She shook her head and started to stand. Kili grasped her right arm and Fili grasped her left to support her as she stood. Once she was steady, she looked at Fili.

"They are in my pack," she explained, her cheeks reddening slightly. "I will get them when we get back." She looked at the concerned young dwarves, her blue eyes pleading.

"Please, don't tell the company about this. I-I don't want the company to know how weak I am. They already think me stupid for forgetting to fill my skin before we left. " she whispered, looking down at the ground. The two exchanged glances, nodding in agreement.

"We won't," Fili said, "But we best be getting back before they send out a search party for us." She nodded, and they moved back up the path, with Fili in front of her and Kili behind her.

"Cirashala?" he asked quietly.

"Hm?" she replied, glancing over her shoulder.

"Who called you stupid?" he asked, and she shrugged.

"I'm not sure. A few people said it as I left the clearing," she replied quietly. She turned to continue on, not seeing the young dwarf's jaw tighten as he clenched his hands.

XXX

The three reached the clearing just as the company had begun to head toward the tree line along the path with their weapons drawn. Thorin saw the three come up the path and glared as they reached the clearing, holding a hand up to halt the company behind him.

"Where in Durin's name have you three been?" he asked angrily, looking at the two young dwarves and the girl.

"I asked you two" he pointed to Fili and Kili, "to scout ahead half an hour ago! We were about to waste valuable time searching for you!" The two glanced at each other, not sure what to say about their delay.

Fili opened his mouth but before he could answer Thorin Kili spoke up.

"I'm sorry Thorin," he said, ducking his head a bit. "I got distracted, and accidentally slipped in the stream. I am sorry it delayed our return." He gestured toward his wet trouser leg, before looking back up at him. Fili and Cirashala looked at Kili, but decided that what he had said was true enough, even if he didn't give the entire story, and remained silent. Thorin sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Kili, we will speak about this later. As for you, "he said, pointing to Cirashala. "How long does it take to fill a water skin?"

"I am sorry, my lord. I had some difficulty filling the skin when I reached the stream, but it was figured out," she replied, hoping Thorin would not ask for details. A few dwarves snickered again, but she didn't look at them as she made her way back to the pine where she had left her pack.

Thorin turned toward his nephews, and she heard him ask how their scouting trip went. She quickly pulled a small cup out of her pack and poured the water into it, before pinching a small amount of the herbs and placing them in the cup. She quickly drank it, before replacing the articles in her pack, and tied her now full water skin to the side of it where it could easily be reached as she walked.

She stood up just as the company began to go down the path, and quickly slung her pack over her shoulder, wincing as she did so, before she followed after the dwarves and hobbit.

XXX

When the company reached the stream, Thorin called a halt. He took one look at the stream, before calling for his nephews.

"I thought you said the stream was low enough to cross," he asked them sternly. They looked at each other, uncertain.

"Isn't it?" Kili asked. "It doesn't look that deep." Thorin pointed to where the water on the surface whirled around in circles as the water churned by.

"No, it is not too deep, probably only about two and a half feet or so. But those ripples indicate a strong current that will make it difficult to cross safely," he replied. The lads looked at each other before their shoulders slumped, sighing as they looked at the river. Thorin looked up and down either way.

"How deep does it get upriver and downriver?" he asked them. Fili shook his head.

"There are rapids upriver, and it just gets deeper further downriver," he said. Kili nodded in agreement.

Cirashala heard Thorin mutter something under his breath that sounded like, "Mahalu me-turg." It was Khuzdul for "By Aulë's beard" and she remembered it to be a curse. He drew Dwalin aside and they began to speak quietly. She looked at the swirling water, then at the trees along the other side.

"Um, excuse me, my lord?" she said to Bofur.

"Aye, lass?" he asked, smiling, "And no need to call me lord. I am nothing more than a simple toymaker." She nodded, then asked, "Do you happen to have some rope?"

"Aye, lass. But what would you be needing rope for?" he asked her, confusion on his face. She said nothing, but took the rope he offered.

Drawing an arrow from her quiver, she tied the end of the half inch thick rope as securely as she could just behind the head of it, keeping about five feet slack. Bofur looked at her, a puzzled expression on his face as she walked to the water's edge just behind Thorin. Dwalin looked up and his expression turned to one of confusion. Seeing his friend's face, Thorin turned around.

"What in Durin's name are you doi—" he stopped short as she drew her bow, aiming for a tree on the far side, before firing her arrow across the stream. The arrow thankfully landed in a pine on the other side, quivering for a moment before it stood still, the rope still tied to it hanging about a foot above the water.

The company, who had been muttering with various dwarves pointing up and downstream up until now, fell silent. Fourteen eyes watched her as she took the end of the rope still on their side and wrap it around a tree trunk, tying it. She tugged on it firmly to make sure it was tight before picking up her pack. She hefted it on top of her shoulder, wincing as she did so, before grabbing the rope with her free hand and setting foot in the stream.

Kili ran to the edge of the stream, reaching out to grasp her just as she moved out of reach.

"Kili, no!" Thorin said, grabbing the young dwarf around the torso before he could get in the water.

Fili was right behind him, and Dwalin reached over, grabbing him as well before he could follow his brother. Bilbo ran to the edge of the water and shouted.

"Miss! You cannot cross here! Didn't you hear what Thorin said? You'll drown! Miss—" he trailed off as she continued on, heedless of his pleas. She slipped a few times, causing a couple of shouts from Bilbo, Bofur, Fili and Kili, but the rope kept her from falling completely. Each time she slipped, she pulled herself up, hoping the arrow would remain fast in the tree.

Getting completely soaked despite her best efforts, she managed to get to the other side still hanging onto the rope. As she set foot on the other side, she all but collapsed on the shore, panting. She saw the arrow, still imbedded in the tree, before looking over her shoulder.

"Wait until I get the rope tied around this tree, then you can cross safely," she shouted over the river. She saw the hobbit sigh with relief as she spoke, and Fili, Kili, and a few others grinned widely. She stumbled up, and grabbed the end of the rope, rounding the tree before tying it off as she had the other one. She didn't even try to get the arrow out of the tree by herself- she knew that she would likely need help pulling it out.

She gave the rope one last tug, before turning and looking at the company across the stream.

"Don't let go of it!" she said, before flopping down against the tree that held the rope, beads of moisture not from the water forming on her brow. She felt flushed and breathless after her crossing, not knowing how she was going to manage to keep up this afternoon. She was determined to try, however, and would take advantage of the rest she could have as she waited for the company to cross the stream.

XXX

Thorin looked at her for a moment, before turning toward the company.

"I will go first," he said, "Then, if it is safe, the rest of you will follow." Dwalin put his hand on Thorin's forearm.

"No, I will go first. I am heavier than you," he said, looking Thorin in the eye. They stared down for a moment, before Thorin relented. Kili smirked a bit as he watched the silent exchange.

He knew that, while Dwalin was indeed heavier than Thorin, that was not the reason he offered to go first. The two had been best friends since they were young dwarflings, and Dwalin was fiercely loyal to Thorin. He offered to go, not because he was heavier, but because he was protecting Thorin should the rope not be strong enough. However, if anyone else dared to say anything, both of them would deny it.

He had to admit, he liked her idea. While it wasn't as ideal as the river not having as much of a current, or having a bridge over it, it just might work.

_Stupid indeed,_ he thought with a smirk, glancing at his brother, who grinned back. A few of the dwarves placed bets on whether or not Dwalin would make it across behind him, and he threw in his bet for the affirmative.

Dwalin strode through the water, the warrior slipping a few times. He came up sputtering and cursing profoundly, but the rope held firm, and he reached the other side and stepped out of the water, wet and annoyed, but unharmed. He turned toward the opposite bank.

"It's safe!" he shouted. Several groans erupted behind Kili, as well as a few cheers. He laughed and turned to collect his winnings from a grumbling Gloin and Nori.

"I was sure that wouldn't work," he heard Nori mutter as he turned around, shaking his head.

"Aye, didn't think she was smart enough to pull that off," Gloin grumbled, and the hairs on the back of Kili's neck bristled. He remained calm however, and went to follow his brother in the water.

XXX

He was about to step in as he saw the hobbit, who was standing next to the water looking very uncertain.

"Bilbo?" Kili asked. "Aren't you going to cross?" Bilbo glanced at him, then back at the swirling water.

"You may cross if you like, Kili, but hobbits are not fond of water at all," Bilbo replied testily. Kili looked at Bilbo, then back at the water, before returning to the hobbit, realization dawning on his face.

"You can't swim, can you?" he asked, and Bilbo shook his head dejectedly.

"Most hobbits don't," he replied nervously. Kili smiled at him reassuringly, and offered his hand. Bilbo shook his head.

"No, no I don't think so," he replied, staring at the water dripping off the rope. Kili grinned, his eyes glinting, and Bilbo began to back away.

"Well, my dear hobbit, if you will not come willingly, I suppose I will have to carry you across," he said mischievously.

"You are NOT carrying me across that stream!" Bilbo squeaked, running away from Kili. The young dwarf laughed as he gave chase, finally catching the poor hobbit and slinging him over his shoulder. Bilbo started kicking and hitting the dwarf with his fists to no avail. Kili grabbed the rope, and stepped into the water.

Bilbo's eyes widened comically as the water grew closer to his face, and Bofur, who was behind the two, began to laugh. Bilbo glared at him, before turning his head toward Kili as much as he could in his current position.

"Kili, I swear if you duck my head in the water I will hide your pipe!" the hobbit squeaked, as water splashed on his face. Kili laughed, before setting the hobbit down in the water, keeping a firm grip on his arm until Bilbo grabbed the rope. The hobbit gasped as he was set down in the cold water, gripping the rope tightly with both hands before glaring at the widely grinning Kili.

"Oi, let's get moving! This water's cold!" Bofur shouted behind them, and Bilbo began to make his way across the second half of the stream, Kili right behind him should the hobbit fall. As Bilbo climbed out of the stream on the other side, he plopped down on the rocky shore sighing in relief- and still glaring at Kili as the latter pretended to be oblivious at the hobbit's discomfort.

The young dwarf walked up to Gloin and Nori, who were wringing out their beards. The two looked up at him, and he narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms.

"Stupid, is she?" he asked, raising an eyebrow as he glanced toward Cirashala. The two shifted uncomfortably, not making eye contact with the young prince.

"Perhaps we have been, er, a bit _hasty_ with our remarks," Gloin muttered, paying careful attention to his wet beard.

"Aye, perhaps," Nori nodded, averting his eyes as he suddenly found the surrounding scenery very interesting.

_At least they have the decency to look sheepish, _the young dwarf thought with a smirk, before heading to join his brother.

XXX

Thorin had to admit, Cirashala's idea had been a good one. He probably would have thought of it eventually, and he was a bit annoyed that she had done so without asking him first. He was a bit surprised she had managed to keep up this far, but maybe her warg bite was healing faster than he thought.

As the last of his company stepped out of the stream, he turned toward Cirashala. The two pairs of eyes locked, before he sighed and nodded his head slightly. She nodded back, rising to her feet a bit shakily. She laid her hand on the trunk, using it to support her as she stood. He cleared his throat and gestured toward the arrow still imbedded in the tree.

"Get your arrow. We won't be reaching any towns for a long while, and you may have need of them before then," he commanded, before heading off to join Balin and Dwalin at the head of the group.


	18. Chapter 18

_**I do not own any of the characters or the Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC) those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reull Tolkien, and without his genius, this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.**_

_**Please review! I love getting them-they keep me encouraged! J**_

Cirashala sighed, before standing up. The elven tea had helped with the pain from her injury, and she could only hope it would ward of cramps in her legs as well. She had not wanted to rest for no other reason than she would not likely be able to get up again afterwards.

Apparently, though they did not ache, her legs still began to feel the effects of the morning's excursion. As soon as she began to stand, her legs wobbled badly, causing her to fall back down on the ground almost immediately.

"Ow," she whispered through gritted teeth as her rear end made contact with a hard tree root protruding out of the soil a bit. She braced her hands on either side of her to try and get up again, when a hand entered her vision. Surprised, she looked up into the smiling face of Bilbo.

"I would imagine you aren't quite used to adventuring either, Miss Cirashala," he said. "Especially with you're having been hurt recently. Do you need a hand up?" She glanced toward Thorin, but he was busy in conversation with Balin and didn't seem to notice. She nodded gratefully, and accepted Bilbo's hand.

The hobbit hoisted her up and kept a hold on her arm as she steadied herself. When she was confident her legs wouldn't turn into jelly again, she released Bilbo's hand.

"Thank you, Mr. Baggins," she replied gratefully.

"Don't mention it," he responded. She turned and looked at the arrow, before grasping it with both hands. She tugged hard- and the arrow didn't budge. She took a breath, and tugged again even harder.

"Looks like that is in there pretty tight," Bilbo observed. "Mind if I try?" She shrugged and stepped aside.

Bilbo took a turn tugging, but the stubborn arrow refused to give. He even placed one foot on the trunk of the tree as he pulled to no avail. He began to pant and get red faced as he pulled against the tree, before backing up and glaring at the offending arrow with his hands on his hips.

If she hadn't still been worn down by grief, she might have chuckled at the hobbit standing there looking very much like an irritated mother. She sighed and placed her hand on his shoulder. The hobbit looked up at her.

"Thank you for trying, Mr. Baggins," she said, "But it is my arrow. I got it in there. I can figure out how to get it out of there…I think." He looked at her for a minute, his expression seeming to ask her if she was sure, before going off to the side and wringing out his coattails. She sighed again and looked at the arrow, trying to figure out a way to pull it out.

Reaching for the rope, she untied it from around the tree. Keeping the rope still tied to the arrow, she gave a hard tug on the taut end, only to go flying backwards with a loud cry as the rope slipped right off the arrow, taking the fletching with it.

She vaguely heard shouts, before cold water suddenly surrounded her, filling her ears and her mouth. The shouts became muffled, before disappearing entirely as she was swept downstream with the strong current.

XXX

Fili and Kili had stood off to the side, watching the hobbit try to pull the arrow out of the tree with amusement. Kili knew full well that, despite Thorin's orders, the arrow wasn't coming out of that tree. Despite not being shot quite straight and hitting the tree off to the side, he had a feeling the arrow had sliced rather deeply in the tree. He had seen the style of arrowhead the archers of Rivendell used, and they were very sharp, long, and narrow. They would penetrate an enemy quite deeply, yet they could still be pulled out of flesh if necessary, unlike orc arrows, which were barbed, forcing healers to push them through to get them out.

He had to admit, he was a bit surprised that she had even hit the tree, what with teaching herself. Then again, the bank was covered with trees, so it was likely that she would have hit at least one of them. It had been very lucky for her the arrow had hit the tree where it had, and had held fast for her in the stream until she could tie it to the trunk.

_Probably hit a knot, _he thought as the hobbit's face turned red and he stood back and glared at it. _It won't come out of the tree if it had. Besides, after going through wood it would be blunt anyway. _

He turned to Fili.

"I believe you owe me three gold coins for that one, brother," he smirked. Fili grumbled something very unkind under his breath, but passed his brother the coins, Kili having bet that the hobbit wouldn't be able to get it out. He placed the coins in his pouch, cinching it up and placing it back on his belt, grinning triumphantly as Fili glared at him.

"Bilbo may not have gotten it out, but Thorin told her to do so," Fili said. Kili shook his head.

"There is no way that arrow is coming out of the tree," Kili replied, glancing back at the girl, who was untying the rope, before returning his gaze to his brother. "I don't even know why he told her to do that." Fili shrugged, his expression indicating he didn't know either. Kili glanced at Thorin, who was discussing their path with Balin.

He had just turned to ask Thorin if it was really necessary that the arrow come out when he heard Cirashala cry out.

Kili's head flew around just as Cirashala splashed into the cold stream. Fili was already running toward the river bank, as was a few of the dwarves. The golden haired dwarf tried to go in after her, but Thorin caught him.

"No, Fili!" he shouted. "You almost drowned last time!" The dwarf king caught some movement out of the corner of his eye, and his eyes widened.

"Dwalin!" he roared. "Get Kili!" The burly dwarf began running after Kili, who had thrown off his quiver and his coat and was now running downstream, eyes focused on the girl as her head popped up out of the water.

The large dwarf chased after Kili shouting, but the youngest dwarf was the fastest runner in the company, and Dwalin couldn't catch him. The other members of the company ran down the bank after the two shouting as well, except Thorin and Fili.

The young dwarf was struggling with all his might against Thorin, but the king wouldn't budge, fully remembering the incident a month ago where Fili and Kili nearly drowned trying to get a stupid pony out of the river. Both their eyes widened as Kili jumped in the stream.

"No! Kili!" Thorin and Fili shouted in tandem as his head disappeared under the deepening water before breaking into a run, Thorin keeping a tight grip on Fili's arm.

XXX

Cirashala came up out of the water sputtering. The current was far stronger than she had thought, and the water far colder. She was a strong swimmer usually, but her wound, coupled with not having eaten all morning, made her weak as she struggled against the current.

She could hear the dwarves behind her on the shore, shouting something inaudible to her water-filled ears. Water splashed in her face, and she cried out as her wounded side hit a large boulder just under the surface. She spit out the water that splashed in her face, as more splashed in it.

Remembering that she must keep her legs in front of her in case there were more rocks underneath in a river, she fought to move toward the bank. It seemed to get harder and harder to move her limbs as the cold began to seep into her body, numbing her arms and legs. The current suddenly dragged her under, bubbles rising underwater as she fought to reach the surface.

Suddenly, she felt a very hard tug on one of her braids, and, despite fighting it, the air left her lungs in large bubbles as she cried out against the pain. She could feel her windpipe burning as she sucked in water, her body fighting the intrusion with coughs that yielded no air.

A strong arm wound around her torso, gripping her tightly. She could faintly see the sunlight getting closer as her vision began to blacken around the outside, before her head suddenly popped out of the water with a loud splash.

She coughed violently, expelling water as she tried in vain to breathe. Pain laced up her wounded side with each effort. Dark spots danced in her vision, and through the rushing in her ears she faintly heard someone shout, "It's all right! I've got you. Hold on!"

XXX

Kili held her tightly as they hit another submerged rock, scraping his knuckles hard. He could hear her coughing hard, and was a bit relieved. At least she hadn't drowned. He shouted reassurances to her, hoping to calm her down enough to try and take deep, slow breaths.

Looking toward the shore, he spotted Dwalin pulling another rope out of his pack as he ran, not far behind them. As Kili felt them passing another rock, this one slightly above the water, he grabbed onto it with his free hand, stopping their descent downstream temporarily.

He was beginning to feel quite cold from the water, and he gently pushed the girl next to the rock, keeping himself between her and the open stream. He could feel her shivering, and realized that she, not being a dwarf, must be far colder than he was.

"You all right?" he spoke softly in her ear. Cirashala didn't seem to hear him, still coughing and gasping violently as she expelled more water. Kili frowned, and his eyes grew wide as he saw the side of her face begin to turn blue.

"Cirashala!" He cried. He heard shouting from the shore, and looked up to see Dwalin and several members of the company standing on the bank.

"Kili! Grab the rope!" Dwalin shouted, and tossed the rope towards him. The rope fell short the first time, and Dwalin pulled it back and threw it again.

It landed on the rock just in front of Kili, and he grabbed it with his free hand, causing the two to lose their hold on the rock and begin to float downstream again. He tightened his grip as the company began to pull it, determined to not let go of the rope.

The company pulled them to the safety of the shore, and as soon as Kili's knee scraped the bottom, Bofur reached out and pulled Cirashala out of his arms. Fili broke through the crowd and helped a shivering Kili out of the water, wrapping his arms protectively around his younger brother.

XXX

Bofur placed an unconscious Cirashala on the ground, and Oin rushed forward. Kili was on the ground next to his brother, Fili's arms wrapped around him and rubbing his back to get him warm. Thorin looked at Kili, and, seeing him shivering with blue tinged lips, turned to Gloin.

"Gloin, get a fire going!" Thorin ordered, before going over to Kili and draping his own coat over the shivering lad's shoulders. Kili paid him no mind, however, as he stared at the girl with his eyes wide in shock.

_He was on the plain again, seeing the girl bleeding before him, her white clothes rapidly staining with crimson blood._ _Her undershirt or whatever it was had begun turning red far too quickly for his comfort, and he pressed his hands to her wounds, trying to stem the flow of blood. He looked at her ashen face, and quickly reached up to brush the muddy hair away from it and off her shirt so the mud didn't get into her wounds. Her pale face was still streaked with mud and now blood, and was quickly turning the same shade as her clothes had been previously. He began to put as much pressure as he dared on her wounds, trying to stop the bleeding but at the same time trying to make sure she could still breathe. _

A loud coughing sound brought Kili back to the present, and he blinked as the girl began gurgling, her back arching as her body fought to expel the water. Oin quickly turned her on her side, and she began to cough up water, her face still blue.

XXX

Once the water was coughed up, she began to breathe more normally. Oin rubbed circles between her shoulders, speaking gently, if not a bit loudly as he helped her sit up.

"Easy now, lass. Slow breaths," he ordered. She nodded slightly, eyes closed as she concentrated on her breathing. A slight breeze wafted through the air, and she began shivering violently, her teeth visibly chattering through her blue lips. Her eyes opened slightly, and she caught sight of Kili, his hair soaking wet as he sat with Fili's arm around his shoulders. Their eyes locked for a moment, but before she could say anything, Thorin's voice thundered, causing both of them to jump.

"What in Middle-earth were you thinking, girl?!" he shouted. "You almost got yourself drowned!" Her eyes widened as she looked at him, before she stuttered, "Y-you t-told me to get the a-arrow out of the t-tree." Thorin stared at her for a moment, before his expression turned thunderous.

"By pulling on it with the rope? Are you out of your mind? Anyone can see that the rope would just slip right off!" he roared. Her eyes lowered, and she swallowed down the urge to start crying as the entire event began to sink in.

Bilbo, noticing her embarrassment, piped up despite his hesitance.

"Thorin, I tried to pull the arrow out too. It didn't budge," he said, and Thorin glared at him.

"I cannot expect a simple _hobbit _to be able to pull that arrow out," Thorin growled, "But a girl, who said she had weapons training—" he gestured toward Cirashala, who hung her head, "Should have known how to remove the arrow from the tree." He turned toward the shivering girl.

"Go back to Rivendell. If you cannot survive in the wild, you do not belong out here," he said, and his tone left no room for argument. Kili looked from Fili to Cirashala, his expression filled with pity as she bit her lip and her brow furrowed. He was also afraid of getting left behind, or getting sent home, and he knew how she must feel. Thorin speaking his name caused him to look away from the girl and up in his uncle's furious face.

XXX

"What in Durin's name were _you_ thinking? Was nearly drowning once not lesson enough for you?!" Thorin growled, and Kili shrank back into Fili as he swallowed hard, before his eyes hardened and he glared back.

"What was I supposed to do? Let her drown?" he snapped, causing everyone's eyes to widen a bit. Thorin's expression hardened.

"She swore to protect all of our lives, including yours!" he thundered back. "Because of her reckless mistake, she put you in danger!"

"I owe her a blood debt!" Kili shouted, standing up, his dark eyes sparking fire. The company went quiet, eyes darting back and forth between the two dwarves, clearly uncertain about whether they should move and give the two furious royals some space or not. Several of them, mainly Dori, Nori, Ori, Gloin, Bombur, and Bofur began to step discreetly away, but they did not get far.

Cirashala stared wide eyed at the young dwarf as he argued with his uncle. "She was nearly killed trying to protect me! If she hadn't jumped in front of that warg, I would be dead, and you know it! Are you saying that I should dishonor myself and the line of Durin by letting her drown?!" Thorin opened his mouth to retort, but a quiet voice stopped him.

"I can swim," Cirashala spoke softly as she looked up. The two looked at her for a second, as did the rest of the company, who stopped their subtle retreat as soon as she spoke. Thorin stared at her incredulously.

"If you can swim, how come you nearly drowned?" he growled. She flushed a bit, and stared at the ground as fourteen eyes bored holes in her.

"I can swim really well, but I hit my side with a rock under the water," she said, then jumped as her stomach growled loudly. She flushed a bright red, and despite the tension, several of the dwarves chuckled.

"Did you swallow a cave troll, lass?" Bofur joked, trying to ease the tension. A few of the dwarves chuckled nervously as she shook her head.

"No," she muttered, blushing more as another rumble erupted from her empty stomach. Balin approached her and knelt by her, placing his hand on her shoulder.

"Have you eaten at_ all_ today, lassie?" he asked her. She shook her head, and Thorin sighed loudly, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Why not, girl?" he asked, looking at her again. She bit her lip again, before answering.

"I-I said I wouldn't eat much," she replied nervously, and Balin's eyes went wide.

"By Durin's beard, lassie, there's quite a difference between not eating much and not eating at all!" he cried out, shaking his head. He looked at her as she ducked her head, wrapping her hands around her torso as she shivered. Realization dawned in his eyes.

"You don't have any food with you either, do you?" She shook her head.

"Why not?" Thorin demanded, his expression still angry. She shrunk a bit, before looking the dwarf king in the eye. Her teeth still chattered as she shivered. Her face had returned to most of its normal pale color, but her lips were still blue.

"They were going to stop you," she replied. Thorin's eyes went wide, before he narrowed them.

"Who?" he asked, his voice low and edged with steel.

"I-I heard them," she replied. "Lord Elrond and Gandalf-they thought I was sleeping, but I heard them. They said something about a council, and that the white wizard was going to stop you from going on your quest." Thorin cursed under his breath, clenching his fist, and several of the dwarves began to mutter angrily.

"What does this have to do with you not having food, lassie?" Balin asked her gently. She looked at the white haired dwarf.

"I-I wasn't supposed to leave Rivendell for another week," she replied softly. "I didn't know where the kitchen was, and if I had asked for traveling food, they would have known you were leaving." The mutters ceased abruptly as the stunned dwarves stared at her.

"You-you didn't ask them for traveling food because of us?" Balin asked her, surprise in his voice. She nodded.

"You probably could have fought the elves, though you would have been outnumbered," she whispered, "but I don't think you could have fought a wizard."

The dwarves looked at her in silence for a moment, their eyes wide. Thorin regarded her with an unreadable expression as she looked back at him. The breeze began to pick up and she shivered.

"Well, I daresay it's no wonder you weren't able to swim against the current, what with not having eaten anything all day," Bilbo piped up matter of factly, breaking the silence. He grabbed his bag, and pulled the blanket out, draping it over her shoulders. Thorin stared at her for a moment, before going to Kili and helping him stand. She heard him say, "Just don't jump into any more streams, Kili," under his breath, and Kili nodded. The dwarf king looked her way again, but said nothing as he walked with his nephews toward where Gloin was gathering the pile of wood for the fire.

Bilbo shuffled a bit in his pack, before shoving some bread and dried meat in her hands. The stunned girl gaped at the hobbit.

"B-but Mr. Bil-Baggins," she stuttered. "I-I thought hobbits enjoyed many meals a day a-and complained when their food ran s-short." Somewhere behind her, Gloin snorted as he got the fire started. She tried to hand the food back to Bilbo, but the hobbit smiled warmly at her as he held up his hands.

"Take it. I can't imagine not eating breakfast, let alone going without food all day," Bilbo replied. "I daresay I would wither away to nothing before too long. It's no bother, really." Cirashala smiled as she took the food and began to eat slowly.

"Thank you, Bilbo," she whispered, her voice grateful.

_If you only knew, Bilbo Baggins, of the long journey through Mirkwood. You will know that feeling of hunger before too long,_ she thought as the hobbit helped her stand and make her way to the warm fire.


	19. Chapter 19

_**I do not own any of the characters or the Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC) those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reull Tolkien, and without his genius, this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.**_

_**Please review! I love getting them-they keep me encouraged! J**_

The warm fire crackled, and Kili was very glad of its warmth. He huddled under Thorin's large coat, shivering as he rubbed his hands, trying to bring circulation back into them. Fili had gone back upstream with Ori to retrieve the items that had been left behind in the rush. Kili looked across the fire at Cirashala, who was huddled under Bilbo's blanket, nibbling slowly at the food the hobbit had given her. She was still shivering badly, and her hands shook as she brought the dried meat to her mouth.

He could not believe that she had been willing to sacrifice food so they could leave Rivendell unnoticed. More than that, he couldn't believe that Bilbo had been the first one to offer her food, especially after the hobbit's complaints that first week about lack of regular meals. He suspected that, if it weren't for most of the company fearing Thorin's wrath, many of them would have been willing to pull some food out of their packs for the girl. Being dwarves, they understood all too well the value of food.

Having been driven out of Erebor, many of them had starved and died that first winter. That was common knowledge even amongst men, because the dwarves had at first tried to enter their settlements looking for food and work. But what few knew it seemed was that the hunger persisted long after Erebor was lost.

During the times they traveled between the cities of men, many dwarves had been forced to take up the bow, a weapon often scorned by dwarves because of its roots with the elves, in order to hunt and provide meat for their families. While Kili loved the bow with a passion, many dwarves, Thorin included, only learned how to shoot out of sheer need. For it was either that, or they would go hungry.

They often did not have the chance to set traps, being on the move as they were. When they did find settlements of men, they were often scorned or turned away as "homeless beggars". A once mighty people they had been, but the loss of their home with naught but the clothes on their backs and a few weapons had reduced them to mere blacksmiths and toymakers. A handful mined, but it wasn't the joyful mining of precious metals. Rather, it was the mining of coal for their forges.

Kili could remember many a time where Thorin and his mother had not eaten so that he and Fili could. Thorin was often held late at the forge, putting in long hours in desperation to feed his family. The incident with the greedy, prejudiced man in Bree was a testament to how far he would be willing to go to make sure his family was fed.

In later years, as they grew old enough, Fili and then Kili would help out at his uncle's forge, learning the craft while putting food on the table. It had been very long days, between lessons, weapons training, and forge work, and they had often near collapsed on their bed by the time the day was done, thoroughly exhausted. But, by that time the dwarves had become settled in Ered Luin, and slowly their reputation spread as skilled smiths and toymakers, and they finally (with the help of their distant cousin, Gloin, who was a well to do merchant) had accumulated enough to finance their quest.

The unfortunate loss of that _stupid_ pack pony (Kili refused to call it by its given name, Buttercup, after that incident) had washed half their stores away, which had been a fairly decent blow, given that they had just crossed the rushing Bruinen, still heavily swollen from the winter snowmelt. After he and Fili had nearly drowned trying to save that stupid pony (Kili's hands had caught in the reins and the blasted thing had drug him under), they managed to find about half their stores washed up on shore.

Kili and Fili had indeed nearly drowned (Kili more so, since he had been stuck underwater longer), and their less durable stores had been too soaked to salvage. Thankfully, the cram and some of the dried meat had still been good. Kili highly doubted that even a dragon could manage to destroy cram, as hard and bland as it was.

So, to sit here and listen as she explained that, not only did she not have food, but it was for them and their quest that she didn't, and to see the hobbit so generously give her a portion of his, was astounding. Especially since Bilbo's bread had been freshly baked when Nori had _acquired _it late last night. The hobbit had savored the smell, eating a portion before stowing the rest, and had declared loudly that it was far better than cram could ever hope to be, even if it became stale.

Kili glanced over at the hobbit, who was making a rather comical face as he tried to chew the tough biscuits. He smiled warmly at the frustrated hobbit, who rather resembled a dog chewing on a tough bone at the moment. He had suspected the hobbit to be worth more than he looked back when he first laid eyes on him in the Shire, and Gandalf had seemed to trust him. Whether or not the hobbit was in fact a burglar remained to be seen (Kili doubted it after the troll incident). However, the hobbit had shown himself to be kind and caring toward others.

_Except when said "others" are a throng of dwarves raiding his pantry, _Kili thought with a chuckle as Bilbo finally broke a piece off and swallowed it with a slight grimace.

XXX

Fili and Ori returned with the missing possessions, namely Kili's coat, his weapons, his pack, and Cirashala's weapons and pack. Fili handed his brother his belongings, while Ori went over to Cirashala.

"Miss Cirashala?" he asked quietly, and when she looked up, he held out her weapons and pack to her. She accepted them gratefully, but the wince was not lost on Ori. His eyes widened as he saw spots of blood on the wounded side of her wet tunic.

"Mister Oin?" he cried turning toward the healer. Oin lifted his ear trumpet to his right ear.

"Aye, lad?" Oin asked, leaning forward and turning his head slightly so the mouth of his trumpet was in the scribe's direction.

"There's blood on Miss Cirashala's tunic. I think her wound reopened," Ori's words cause the healer to rise quickly and grab his bag, and several pairs of eyes turned toward the shivering girl. Kili looked at her side, and his brow furrowed with concern. There was indeed a red patch on her tunic, and it was slowly getting bigger. She looked toward Ori, before looking back at the healer as he approached her.

"Move aside, lads," Oin ordered loudly, and Bofur retracted his legs out of the way so as to not trip the older healer while Bombur stepped aside, having been standing next to the fire roasting a sausage on a stick.

The healer knelt down by her, instructing her to turn her left side towards him. Cirashala obeyed the command hesitantly.

"I-I am sure it's nothing, Mister Oin," she stammered a bit, sending a fearful glance toward Thorin. The healer raised his eyebrows at her.

"Your wound is five days old, lass," he replied sternly. "Fresh blood is _not _nothing." She ducked her head and picked at a piece of bark on the old log she was sitting on, biting her lip. The healer poked her wound a bit, causing her to wince, before sighing loudly.

"I am going to need you to take off your tunic, lass," he stated matter of factly. Her eyes widened and she glanced toward the company with a look of horror. Nearly all the members of the company shuffled uncomfortably in their seats, and a few coughed awkwardly as their eyes averted.

"N-now?!" she squeaked, turning back toward the unfazed healer.

"Aye. You have lost enough blood already lass. Don't need you losing any more," he replied. He grabbed a roll of bandages, before glancing over his shoulder and clearing his throat loudly.

"All right there, you lot. Bugger off for a bit and give the lady some privacy," he shouted at the company. "I know it's been a long journey and all, but there's no need to gawk at the poor girl!"

The company scurried up very quickly, and a few dwarves muttered under their breath, not happy with leaving the fire. However, when he was in the mindset of healer, Oin was a force to be reckoned with if anyone dared to question him. Additionally, despite several of them still not quite sure about the girl, they were respectful enough to give her the privacy she needed.

"What about my sausages? They will burn," Bombur lamented loudly. Oin shot him a glare.

"They're cooked enough, so take them with you!" he growled. Bombur hastily grabbed the sizzling meat and scampered off.

"Oin," Thorin's voice caused the healer to look up. Cirashala froze and glanced up at the dwarf king's stern visage.

"Aye, my lord?" he replied, nodding his head. "I trust you are not hoping to be the exception to the rule. You may be my king, but I am a healer, and this is my patient." The healer glared at Thorin. The king shook his head, before gesturing over his shoulder at the retreating forms of his nephews.

"Kili is still very cold, and needs to remain near the fire," he said, locking eyes with the healer. "I will not have him become ill." Oin nodded in agreement.

"Aye. No offense, my lord, but he can be a right pain if he catches ill," the healer agreed, sighing. Thorin bit back a chuckle. A sick and miserable Kili would make everyone around him miserable and annoyed in short order. He wouldn't follow healer's orders, and they would practically have to tie him to the bed to keep him from overdoing it every time. Then he would sit or lie there and whine and complain, and anyone within earshot would seriously entertain the thought of warg hunting just to give themselves some peace, and keep them from killing their patient at the same time.

"Alright, he can stay, but only if he turns around," the healer declared, loud enough for Kili to hear. "It would be improper should he stare, even out of curiosity." Kili stopped, and nodded at Fili. He looked to Thorin, who directed him to a spot opposite the fire from the healer. Kili sat with his back turned fully toward Oin and Cirashala, looking toward the direction that the company had gone.

Thorin nodded at the healer, before heading into the surrounding trees toward the company. Before he was out of earshot, Cirashala spoke up.

"Mister Oin?" she ventured loudly as she began to unlace her tunic.

"Aye, lass?" he asked her, glancing up from his open bag.

"Lo-the elves gave me some bandages and salve for my wound," she replied, handing her bag to the healer. "Please don't dwindle your supplies on my account. The company may have need of them later." The healer paused for a moment and sighed, nodding before placing his items back in his bag.

"Alright lass," he replied, his face twisting slightly in disgust. "I would rather not use elven healing methods, but you have a point. I would rather keep my supplies on me as long as I can, since I am never sure when I will find herbs to replace what I have used." She nodded, rifling through her pack a bit before producing the bandages and jar of salve.

She finished unlacing her tunic, and, pulling her left arm out exposing her wound, allowed the healer to begin his work.

XXX

Kili sat on his side of the fire nervously. He was rather frustrated at his uncle for insisting that he stay near the fire, but at the same time the heat from it felt very good against his still shivering frame. He could hear the slight whimpers that emitted from the girl, and barely refrained from turning his head as he heard the healer curse under his breath.

"Mahal, lass. You've gone and torn half your stitches open!" the healer growled. Kili heard a muttered apology, and could hear the pain lacing her voice.

"Did the elves give you anything for the pain?" Oin asked.

"Yes," she replied. "There are some herbs in my pack that are supposed to be mixed with water to make a tea." The healer grunted, and Kili could hear some shuffling. He looked down to his side as a tin cup, then a larger pot, clattered on the rock beside him.

"Cover yourself up, lass," Oin ordered. There was a pause. Kili stared at the cup and pot, brow furrowing in confusion. Surely Oin wasn't suggesting—

"Kili! Go fetch some water from the stream and set it by the fire to warm," Oin ordered. Kili's eyes widened.

"B-but Mister Oin!" he protested. "Y-you told me to stay turned around!" The healer let out an exasperated sigh.

"Aye, I did. But I need warm water, and at the moment I cannot stop stitching," the healer snapped. "Get to it already!" Kili swallowed, cheeks reddening in embarrassment as he slipped Thorin's coat off and donned his own. He grabbed the bowl and the cup and hastened toward the stream, looking away from the two as he walked.

He filled up the cup and bowl, and headed back toward the fire. He set them by the crackling flames on a rock, close enough to warm, but not so close as to burn one's hands when grabbed. Heading back toward his seat, he went to grab Thorin's coat, but saw his quiver and thought better of it. He donned his quiver, and set the large coat on his lap. Holding his bow and an arrow loosely in his hands, he settled down, eyes scanning the area visible to him for any threats.

After all the blood he had seen pass from her on the plain, he didn't think he could stand another reminder about what happened. He wasn't a healer, although he had been trained just a little bit. It was essential for all warriors to know how to aid their fallen comrades before the healers could reach them, and also to know some of the healing herbs found in the forest.

He couldn't assist Oin in the way that the healer would need. However, he could at least make sure the healer and his patient were protected during the task.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**_So, sorry for a shorter chapter, but it seemed a good place to end the "impromptu camping" sequence. I know it has been about four chapters dealing with the same morning, so hopefully next chapter we can start to move a bit faster on the journey. _**

**_Big thanks to and those who took the ridiculous amount of time to take great shots of the scenery as the dwarves march toward the Misty Mountains. I saw a river amongst the pines, and it gave me the idea for this mini-arc. It has also proven helpful for a few ideas later on, since I believe the stone giant sequence to have happened as they neared the eastern edge of the mountains, and given what I have seen on Tolkien's middle earth map, it seems to be a good fifty miles (as the raven flies) to cross them, made undoubtedly longer by the winding the company would have to take. So I am estimating 70 miles to cross the mountains (possibly about 66 or so to Goblintown). _**

**_Big thanks to those who have read and reviewed, favorite and followed. You guys make my day! J_**


	20. Chapter 20

_**I do not own any of the characters or the Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC) those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reull Tolkien, and without his genius, this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.**_

_**Please review! I love getting them-they keep me encouraged! J**_

After Cirashala's wound was tended, Oin handed her the now warm tea and busied himself packing up the medical supplies. He glanced over to Kili, and was pleased to note the lad no longer seemed to be shivering.

Cirashala brought the tea up to her mouth, and carefully went to sip in case it was too hot again. Her hands still felt like ice, and she cupped both of them around the warm cup. She watched as Oin moved toward the young archer, her mind a flurry of thoughts as she tried to sort out what Kili had said in the argument with Thorin.

_I owe her a blood debt!_ _She was nearly killed trying to protect me! If she hadn't jumped in front of that warg, I would be dead, and you know it! Are you saying that I should dishonor myself and the line of Durin by letting her drown?!"_

The young dwarf had looked absolutely furious that Thorin would even suggest such a thing, and she had been completely shocked that he had yelled at his uncle in such a way. She remembered from both the book and movie that Kili held a deep respect for Thorin, and always sought his approval.

_What did he mean by blood debt?_ She wondered. _It must be something very important for him to be so angry with the person he looks up to the most._

She resolved to ask Balin about it when they camped for the night. If it was something so important that Kili would risk his uncle's wrath for it, it would be a good idea for her to know just what it was and what it entailed. Especially since it obviously had something to do with her.

She had thought that when she told them they didn't owe her anything that they would dismiss it. She knew that dwarves did not trust other races, and it had been her fault Kili had tripped anyway. Either the movie and the book were both wrong, or things were indeed changing because of her presence.

She thought about the stories of Middle-earth that sat on her bookshelf. The quest for Erebor, the White Council, Goblintown and Gollum's cave, Bilbo finding the ring, the journey through Mirkwood, and finally the dragon and the battle. Her mind flashed forward eighty years, to the War of the Ring, and finally, to the knowledge that the "Necromancer" in Dol Guldur was none other than Sauron himself, and the blood drained from her face.

_Things cannot change!_ She thought desperately. _We MUST get to Goblintown before the Ring abandons Gollum. Bilbo MUST find it before the goblins! _Because of her injury, the company was now four and a half days behind on their journey. Four and a half days-for the goblins to find the Ring before Bilbo. Her hands began to shake uncontrollably as the full realization of the consequences of her presence was inflicting upon Middle-earth.

The entire fate of Middle-earth rested on_ her_ shoulders. And she couldn't even pull an arrow out of a tree without nearly drowning!

"By Eru above, what have I done?" she whispered, too low for the others to hear.

XXX

Oin approached Kili, bandages in hand, and the young dwarf looked up.

"Let me see your hands, laddie. Those look like some nasty scrapes," Oin ordered, and Kili sighed loudly.

"Mister Oin, they are just scratches," he replied, trying hard to not sound like he was whining. Oin raised an eyebrow and looked at him incredulously, his expression indicating that Kili had failed miserably.

"Now don't be a stubborn lad," the healer admonished. "I need to make sure they don't get infected." Kili groaned, but held out his hand obediently.

"They're fine," he muttered, cheeks reddening as he remembered the young woman sitting across from the fire.

_She has a bloody warg bite, and here Oin is demanding to clean mere scratches,_ he thought to himself angrily, _as though I am nothing more than a child crying over a scraped knee. _

The young prince scowled at the healer, and tried to pull his hand away, but Oin gripped his wrist tightly and glared at him.

"Stop your fidgeting laddie! How in Mahal's name am I supposed to clean this up if you won't hold still?" the healer growled. Kili glared back at him.

"It's not like I am a child, Oin. You don't need to bandage up every little scrape I get," he muttered angrily.

"Child or no, you are certainly acting like one!" Oin bit back, and Kili's pride had enough. He yanked his hand out of the healer's grasp, crying out as the movement ripped open the cut on his arm. He fell backward, landing on his right side. He gripped his right elbow before he could stop himself, eyes flitting back to the healer's with fear as Oin's eyes widened.

"Laddie, what's wrong with your arm?" he asked, his voice demanding answers.

"N-nothing," Kili replied, averting his eyes. Oin huffed.

"You expect me to believe that?" the healer replied angrily. "Kili, let me see your arm. Now."

Kili looked up at the healer, his eyes wide. He pulled his arm closer to his trembling body, before shaking his head no. Oin glared at him, before looking over his shoulder.

"Thorin!" the healer called, and Kili visibly paled as the company came back into view. There were several quick and discreet glances toward Cirashala, and Kili could see them breathe a sigh of relief that she was clothed.

"What is it Oin?" the dwarf king asked, and Oin gestured toward Kili.

"I was tending the lad's scrapes on his hands, and when he pulled away from me, he cried out and grabbed his arm. But he didn't fall on it," Oin said, and Thorin and Fili's gaze darted to Kili, their eyes widened. Fili immediately rushed toward Kili and placed his hand on Kili's upper arm as Thorin looked back at the healer.

"Well, what's wrong with it?" the king asked the healer impatiently. Oin shrugged, shaking his head.

"I don't know," the healer replied. "Stubborn lad won't let me look at it." Thorin turned toward Kili.

"Kili, show Oin your arm," Thorin ordered. Kili's pale face turned toward Fili, a look of panic in his eyes as he swallowed nervously. Fili gripped his shoulder gently.

"Kee, please," he pleaded. Kili nodded, before sitting up with Fili's help. He hesitated as he placed his hand on his sleeve, before pulling it up. Several members of the company gasped, and Thorin's eyes widened at the sight of the blood soaked bandage, bright red blood mingling with the old, black dried bloodstains. Oin cursed loudly and grabbed his bag.

"Mahalu-me turg, lad! Why didn't you tell me you got hurt? That's likely infected!" the healer growled angrily, throwing a pot at the cluster of dwarves. It hit poor Ori in the face, before clattering on the ground.

"Ow!" Ori cried, rubbing his nose.

"Get me some hot water!" the healer yelled, ignoring the looks Dori and Nori were giving him, and the scribe rushed toward the river. Ori filled the pot with water and quickly set it by the fire, spilling some into the orange flames with a hiss in his haste. Oin pushed Fili out of the way, and began to cut the old bandage off. Thorin looked at Kili, who returned his gaze with fear.

"Kili, how did this happen?" Thorin asked darkly. Kili's eyes flashed toward Cirashala, who had stood and joined the group of Dwarves, and Thorin followed his gaze. He turned and grabbed the girl by the arm, fury in his face.

"What did you do to him?" he yelled, and the girl's blue eyes widened in fear.

"Answer me!" Thorin shouted, his grip tightening. She cried out in pain.

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean—" Kili's eyes widened as Thorin grabbed the front of her shirt with his other hand, bringing her face within inches of his. Her face paled and tears filled her eyes as her eyes widened even further in terror. The dwarf prince paled.

"Uncle, stop!" he shouted. "I-it wasn't her fault! It was mine, I swear!" Thorin looked over his shoulder at Kili, and Balin rushed forward and grabbed the arm that held the front of the terrified girl's shirt.

"My lord!" Balin said. The king didn't respond. "Thorin!"

Thorin turned, and looked hard at Cirashala, before releasing her. She fell to her knees, and Balin knelt beside the shaking girl, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. She hastily wiped her eyes, sniffling a bit. Kili paled as Thorin approached him.

"Kili, how did this happen?" Thorin asked, voice edged with steel. Kili swallowed, before meeting Thorin's gaze.

"When I woke up yesterday, it was nearly noon. I thought the company would be in the dining hall," he began, and explained what happened, including the part about Cirashala bandaging his wound. He then glanced at Bilbo, who gave him a hard look.

"After I left her room, I went to get a clean tunic, and Bilbo was there. I-I made him promise not to tell, because I knew you would blame the elves, a-and I didn't want to start a war," Kili finished. He looked up at his uncle, his eyes fearful.

"I-I'm sorry, uncle," he whispered, looking down at his lap. He hissed as Oin began to scrub the cut vigorously in an attempt to get the infection out. Fili, who had crawled on the other side of Oin after being toppled over, laid his hand on Kili's shoulder, before the two looked up at their uncle.

XXX

There was silence for a good while, the only sounds being Oin scrubbing and Kili's occasional hiss. The company looked from one to the other, unsure about what to do. Ori stopped rubbing his nose, and looked to Dori, who just shook his head at him. Bofur and Bombur exchanged glances, and Balin and Dwalin both glanced to Thorin, who hadn't said anything since Kili's apology.

Oin sighed, and reached for the bandages, before breaking the silence.

"It's infected," he stated, "But not badly. Hopefully it should go away on its own, if properly taken care of." He said the last part with a pointed look at Kili, who nodded meekly, not meeting anyone's eyes.

"Alcohol will help keep the infection at bay," a soft voice whispered. Fourteen pairs of eyes looked toward Cirashala, who was still huddled down on the ground. Oin looked at her skeptically.

"And what makes you say that, lass?" he replied, eyebrow raised. She cast a fearful glance at Thorin, before ducking her head.

"Nothing," she replied loudly so the healer would hear her, eyes downcast as she hugged herself tighter. "I am sorry I interfered. It was not my place," she whispered, before getting up quickly and going to her things. She donned the quiver and her pack, and set off upstream toward the path silently, not meeting anyone's eyes.

It would not do to let the company see her cry.

XXX

Balin stared at the retreating figure, before looking back at Thorin, his eyes hard.

"My lord, a word?" Balin asked Thorin. The words sounded friendly, but those who knew Balin well knew that he was seething. Thorin nodded, before stepping aside with his old friend.

Once they were out of earshot, Balin turned toward Thorin, his face angry.

"Was that really necessary?" he growled. "You frightened the poor girl half to death! I am sure she thought you were going to kill her!"

"And I was!" Thorin replied, angry as well. "At the time she had said _nothing _about Kili having injured himself. For all I know, she had harmed him, and her apology supported it. And if she had harmed a prince of the line of Durin, the penalty would have been death, and you know it!" Balin held up his hands.

"If you had been held by the throat by a king whose kin had been harmed, would you have apologized as well?" Balin pointed out. "I know that the penalty is death, but haven't you noticed something? The girl apologizes for _everything, _even if it is not her fault! Which, in this case, it wasn't."

"She did break the bowl in the first place," Thorin retorted. "The glass would not have been on the floor if it were not for her careless actions!"

"Because she tried to stand up on her own right after losing a great deal of blood, nearly dying after saving the life of your _nephew_, and having been unconscious for three days!" Balin snapped back. "I'm surprised she was even able to get herself to the edge of the bed as is!"

"She should not have attempted it!" Thorin spat. "It was foolish of her to even try!" Balin glared at him.

"And she would not have had to, had someone been in her room with her!" he growled.

"Gandalf was supposed to be in her room with her!" Thorin howled, before stopping suddenly as it dawned on him what he had said. Balin's eyes widened, before he began to chuckle. The exasperated look Thorin gave him would have made someone else cower, if that someone had not changed his diapers at one point.

"Therefore, it was not young Kili's, or Cirashala's fault at all," Balin said, his chuckles dissipating as he shook his head. "It was Gandalf's, for leaving her unattended. I should like to see you try to strangle a wizard, though I doubt he would have let you off so easily." He gave Thorin an amused look, his eyes twinkling a bit at the look Thorin gave him in return.

"Then why would she apologize for something she didn't even do?" Thorin retorted, and Balin shook his head.

"Maybe in her mind it _was _her fault," he replied, shrugging his shoulders. "I can see how she would think it was, especially with the way you reacted." He fixed Thorin with a hard look as the dwarf king averted his gaze, sighing loudly.

"I should think an apology is in order," Balin said sternly. "You really terrified the lass, and she has done nothing to deserve your wrath. Quite the opposite, in fact."

Thorin's jaw tightened, and he let out a loud sigh, gritting his teeth. He crossed his arms in front of him and leaned up against a tree, looking down at the ground.

"Thorin, you owe her your nephew's life," Balin said quietly.

"Don't you think I know that?" Thorin snapped back. "Don't you think I _know _that Kili would have died out there, and I would have been unable to stop it?" He stood to his full height, glaring at Balin. "Don't you think I know that, if it weren't for her, my nephew's blood would have been on my hands?!"

Thorin felt a hand grip his shoulder from behind, and turned to see Dwalin. His throat tightened as he finally let the emotions he had been guarding out. In front of the company, he was their king. But, this time, he knew he was in front of his closest friends, and had the freedom to let down the mask. He shuddered as he shut his eyes tight, unwilling to let the tears fall just yet.

"Kili's tripping was no one's fault," Dwalin said softly, his usual gruffness giving way in front of his friend's pain. "It was an accident. I don't know how she did it, but all we can do is thank Mahal she was able to reach him in time." Thorin nodded, sucking in a few breaths as he blinked his tears away, gaining strength from his friends next to him. He looked at the two brothers before him.

"Should I have left them at home?" he whispered, his voice sounding small even to himself. Dwalin started chuckling, and Balin shook his head.

"Those two knuckleheads would have followed us anyway, and you know it," the burly warrior stated. "I don't think even Dis could have kept them from coming, though she certainly tried, I hear." He shared a knowing glance with Balin, and despite his inner turmoil Thorin couldn't help the small chuckle that escaped his lips.

His sister had tried all right, and he was very lucky to still have all his body parts intact (and that Dwalin had the foresight to hide all the weapons in the house including her axe _before _Thorin discussed it with her). She made it very clear in no uncertain terms that if her boys were to have any harm befall them, there would be absolutely _nowhere _in Middle-earth that Thorin could hide. Not even Valinor, he remembered her saying. And, if harm did befall them, even Thorin in all honesty would rather seek refuge in a land full of elves rather than risk his sister's wrath.

They heard Oin call out to them that Kili's wound had been taken care of, and the two brother's clasped each of Thorin's forearms in a warrior's shake, before returning to the company.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**_Ok, I know I said this chapter would continue on their journey, but the muses had different ideas and I thought it was a good time to let the emotional stress finally get to Thorin. Though he has a very stern visage in both the book and the movie, I can imagine that when he is with his closest friends he is no longer king but rather friend. And with him so close to his nephews, especially Kili, that he would not be the exception when it came to feeling the strong emotions at nearly seeing his nephew killed. So, I promise, the next chapter will have them setting out on the path once more leading into the mountains, and they will finally begin to make headway. _**

**_Thanks for all the reviews, favorites, and follows! You guys have been fantastic! J_**


	21. Chapter 21

_**I do not own any of the characters or the Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC) those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reull Tolkien, and without his genius, this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.**_

_**Please review! I love getting them-they keep me encouraged! J**_

Cirashala had reached the head of the path, still shaking after her encounter with Thorin. Her arm throbbed badly, and she was surprised that the furious dwarf king hadn't broken her arm, as tight as he had gripped it.

She dropped down by a tree, before staring at her bracer for a minute. The elves had given her leather bracers that matched the quiver, and she stared at the lacing up the inner arm. Slowly she untied it, before loosening it and slipping it off.

She pushed her sleeve up, exposing the angry raised handprint on her upper arm. It was quickly turning black, and swelling. Thorin's hand had been rather large, though his fingers weren't very long, a dwarf trait she had discovered watching the movie. The bruise easily covered most of her upper arm. She wished she had some ice, as her gaze drifted toward the snowcapped mountains. Perhaps in a few days she would, though it would not be as effective then.

She lowered her sleeve and put her bracer back on, tying it in place. She glanced up, and caught sight of that infernal arrow that had started the chaotic events of the past day. She glared at it through her slightly blurred eyes, her contacts protesting the intrusion of the stream and then the crying she had done on the way back up the path.

_It is a miracle the contacts managed to stay in after my early morning "swim", _she thought. She had a left eye that turned inward when she wasn't wearing them, and when she had both eyes straight the world was somewhat blurry. But, when it was turned she could see fairly well, though occasionally double, and it gave her a massive headache when she did. If she lost her contacts-well, she would fight tooth and nail to make sure she didn't, because the next possible chance for her to acquire some sort of spectacles wouldn't be until Laketown most likely. At least she had the kind she could sleep in.

She looked at the arrow, before looking back down the path. Not seeing the company coming up just yet, she glanced back at the stupid arrow. With her brow furrowing in determination, she got up. Thorin already thought she was worthless, and he had tried to kill her, she was sure of it. What would it matter if she fell in the stream again? It's not like she really had anything to live for now, what with her husband and children dead.

But, her mind once again went through the events that were supposed to happen. She sighed. She could not leave Middle-earth, even in death. She knew that she was being very selfish right now. They _needed _her to make things right, and she could not leave knowing that whatever happened to all these people who dwelt in Middle-earth was her fault.

Jaw setting in determination, she got up and looked at the arrow, now free of its fletching. She walked around the tree, before nearly laughing and feeling particularly stupid at the same time. She could see the tip of the arrow just poking out of the tree on the other side. Barring the arrow breaking, she could likely get it pushed through and be able to pull it out the other side!

She grabbed a large rock, and began pounding on the shaft on the side the arrow entered, trying to make sure she hit it head on so it wouldn't shatter. It only took a few pounds before the shaft gave way and moved forward suddenly.

She moved around to the other side, and carefully gripped the arrow just behind the head. She pulled hard, and fell backwards in an undignified heap as the arrow suddenly slid out of the tree. She looked at the arrow, and shook her head.

_Confounded thing,_ she thought to herself. _At least I can show that stubborn dwarf king that I CAN retrieve my arrows like a trained warrior!_

It was almost as though her arm wished to remind her of what had happened, because it chose that moment to throb again. The slight twinkle that had appeared in her eyes vanished at the memory, and her face fell.

She stood up and made her way back over to the pine tree she had leaned against upon her returning to the path, laying the arrow on her lap and drawing her arms about herself. She shivered slightly, clothing still damp from the stream. Laying her arrow by her side, she drew her gray cloak around her, and drew her knees up to her chest, resting her hooded forehead on them.

_Let the company come, _she thought to herself sadly. _I will show the king I retrieved the arrow, and then I will just keep going. I will not speak out of turn again, and will follow orders without question. Perhaps, if I do so, the king will not harm me again. I cannot be sent away. I cannot fail. I_ must_ not fail._

XXX

The company came up to where the path into the mountains continued, and Balin looked around worriedly.

"Cirashala? Where are you lassie?" he called, and several members of the company looked around in bewilderment. Kili caught sight of her quiver behind an oddly shaped rock, nestled within a bush at the base of a pine.

"Her quiver is over here behind this rock!" he said, and went to step on the rock to retrieve it. Balin's eyes widened.

"Er, um, Kili? I don't think that's a—" he got cut off as Kili's book stepped upon the front of the "rock" and a loud, feminine cry rang out.

Kili fell atop the now moving rock, smacking his chin on the top and eliciting a soft "Ow!" from the rock. His eyes widened comically, though he could not see anything but darkness in the startlingly soft and damp rock.

_R-rocks don't speak! _He thought frantically. _Come to think of it, they don't usually move either. _

He lifted his head from the unusually soft "rock"-only to be less than three inches away from wide, startled blue eyes and a very red and shocked face. Blushing to the roots of his hair as he realized just where his face had ended up, he cried out an apology before scampering up quickly. He moved backward so quickly that he all but ran Fili over, knocking the both of them down on the ground as several of the dwarves chuckled heartily.

"S-s-sorry, m-my lady," he sputtered out, face a deep crimson as he shut his eyes tight and wished for the ground to swallow him whole. He was breathing heavily, and completely mortified at the awkward situation. Fili grumbled underneath him, not having seen exactly _why _his brother had jumped backwards so suddenly, and getting very irritated that Kili's quiver was pressing down on his face.

"Kili, get off of me!" his muffled voice growled, pushing his startled brother off of him with a huff. He caught sight of Cirashala, who had just climbed out of the bushes. Her head was down, but he could still see the very red cheeks under the edge of her hood. Glancing at his brother, he put two and two together, and, try as he might, his shoulders began to shake with stifled laughter.

He reached down to help his brother up, biting his lip to keep from laughing. Kili glared at him, and Fili sobered a bit, though there was still a twinkle in his eye.

XXX

Thorin watched all of this with a stony expression on his face, not willing to show that he was slightly amused at poor Kili's plight as well. He shook his head, sighing. How was it possible that Kili, a dwarf of all things, mistook a gray cloak for a rock?

He had to admit, she had been pretty well concealed, and any passerby who was not actually trying to find her might have mistaken her for a rock at first glance. He briefly wondered if elven cloaks possessed some sort of magic in them to deceive the eye, when he heard a clatter at his feet.

Looking down, his eyes widened in astonishment. There, at his feet, was an elvish arrow with torn blue fletching. Dwalin looked over his shoulder, eyes widened as well, and several surprised heads looked at the tree it had been in, before turning toward the young girl. Kili gaped, blinking, and Fili smirked.

"Brother, I do believe you owe _me_ three gold pieces," he said, turning toward a dumbfounded Kili.

Cirashala looked apprehensively at Thorin for a brief second, trembling slightly, and the dwarf king nodded. Lowering her head, she picked up the arrow, and placed it in her quiver, before stepping aside to let the company pass. Her arms were still around her middle, and her shoulders were hunched as she refused to meet the gaze of anyone in the company.

Thorin cleared his throat, before turning to the company.

"We have been far delayed enough," he said. "We need to move on." He gestured to Balin, who nodded.

The members of the company shuffled their packs on their shoulders, and Balin made his way to the head of the group. He glanced at the forlorn young woman as he passed her, eyes softening a bit, before giving Thorin a stern look, raising his eyebrow. Thorin glanced at the ground, before looking back at his friend, his look clearly stating, "Later." Balin nodded reluctantly, and moved past him, sighing.

The dwarves passed Cirashala, some giving her puzzled looks, a few shaking their heads in slight wonder. She kept her gaze at their boots, not daring to look at any of them for fear of insulting or provoking anyone, but not wishing to miss them leaving.

She counted the pairs of boots that passed her, noting the differences with each. Some were blunt toed, some had their toes curled up slightly, and most had fur trim. She startled a bit as a pair with two throwing axes on each stopped in front of her, and she looked up hesitantly, knowing who they belonged to.

Fili glanced at her face, and noticed the way her eyes refused to meet his. He could see her trembling, and followed her arm as she subconsciously reached up toward her upper right arm where Thorin had grabbed her.

"My lord, is there something you wish for me to do?" she asked hesitantly as he opened his mouth to speak. Fili's eyes widened as he heard the fearful twinge in her voice.

"N-no," he answered, his voice somewhat cheerful, but Cirashala could hear the concern behind it. "I just wanted to make sure you were all right after my _graceful _brother fell on you. He would apologize, but I believe he is still too embarrassed." He smiled and reached an arm out to reassure her, and froze as she recoiled from him with a small gasp, her eyes shutting as she shrank in on herself. He glanced at the retreating back of Thorin, and his eyes narrowed at his uncle as he realized just how badly he had frightened her.

"I-I'm fine, my lord," she muttered, and glanced up at the young prince briefly. "It was nothing." She smiled slightly, but Fili could tell it was forced, and she still had yet to meet his eyes.

"You don't have to be afraid of me," he said quietly. "I told you in the troll cave I wouldn't hurt you, and I keep my word." She swallowed, and nodded, but Fili could tell by the way she held herself defensively that she didn't believe him-or trust him.

"I'm fine, my lord. Please give Lord Kili my apologies," she mumbled quickly, the fear in her voice a bit more audible, and before Fili could stop her she rushed to the back of the line of dwarves without another word. The astonished dwarf stared after her, not believing what he had heard, when Kili came up alongside him. The brothers exchanged a puzzled glance, Kili's expression telling Fili that he had heard the entire exchange.

"Did she really call you 'my lord'?" Kili asked quietly. Fili nodded, his face grim.

"She is completely terrified of us," he whispered.

XXX

The company walked through the forest for the rest of the afternoon. Cirashala found herself falling behind several times as her legs grew very tired and the blisters she had thought she felt starting became very real. She would glance up, and speed up briefly until she caught up to them again many times. She was very grateful that they had been walking on a fairly flat part of the forest so far. She did not think she would be able to keep up once they actually began to climb the mountains themselves.

Her heart felt heavy, and several times she had to blink back tears as the long hours of silence brought back painful memories of her lost family. The silence would be occasionally broken as Bofur would make a joke, or Ori would converse with Bilbo about customs of the Shire, eager to write all that he could in his journal. The scribe had figured out a way to carry his quills and ink on his side so he could dip them and write as he walked.

Occasionally they would pause as Thorin, Balin and Dwalin would discuss which way to go next, and the company would take the opportunity to sit for a few minutes and enjoy the brief rest while they could. Some pulled out their pipes, and a few times Bofur would pull out his flute and play a quick tune.

Fili and Kili kept glancing at the girl with concern. She had not spoken a word since she had been so formal with Fili, and the brothers had noticed her slight limp, though she tried to hide it. Her left foot had worse blisters than her right, being just a tiny bit bigger than the opposite foot. Kili noticed during her breaks she would shift her weight from her left foot as she leaned against a tree, panting as she would recover her breath.

Bilbo also looked at her with concern, especially when she began to lag behind. He would subtly slow his pace ever so slightly when she did, and Ori would match him as they remained in conversation. Given that the two were in the middle of the company, the other members of the company would slow slightly as well, not quite realizing it. As soon as she caught back up, Bilbo would speed up again. Thankfully, no one seemed to notice until the sun was beginning to set.

"Oi, Bilbo!" Bofur called out from behind the hobbit. "Is it just me, or do you seem to be slowing down a bit?" Bilbo paused, trying very hard to not glance over Bofur's shoulder at Cirashala, who had fallen behind again.

"Sorry," Bilbo replied, the excuse still forming in his head. "I-I was just admiring the scenery. Don't have such large pine trees in the Shire, and this is my first adventure after all." He shrugged nonchalantly, trying to show that it was the most normal thing in the world. He breathed a silent sigh of relief as several members of the company rolled their eyes much in the same way that they had when he had mentioned that he had forgotten his handkerchief.

Having seen out of the corner of his eye that Cirashala had caught back up, he just smiled and continued on. Fili and Kili exchanged glances between the hobbit and the breathless girl, and looked at each other knowingly, having figured out Bilbo's reasoning. They had seen her lag behind as well, and had been torn between aiding her and provoking their uncle's wrath against her.

The two subtly moved back toward her, and she glanced up at them in fear as they passed her and began to walk behind her. Remembering her earlier discussion, the brothers signed to each other rapidly, deciding to appear as though they had moved to the back in order to hunt for supper. In actuality, Kili had been scanning the tree line all afternoon anyway looking for something to shoot for supper.

She risked a quick glance behind her, and found Kili glancing around the trees on his side and Fili glanced on the other side. She turned forward and began glancing back and forth at the trees as well. She didn't feel uneasy (other than having the princes behind her), but she wasn't a trained warrior. If they felt that something was off, she had better pay attention as well.

The brothers noticed her scanning the trees as well, and shared a quick smile. Their plan had worked, and they could make sure she kept up as well as hunt supper.

XXX

As the sun began to dip below the tree line behind them, Thorin called a halt. He began shouting orders, and the dwarves busily moved to set up camp.

Kili had managed to shoot a couple of pheasants, and had given them to Bombur to prepare for supper. Oin and Gloin began to prepare a stone rimmed pit for the fire. Thorin turned toward his nephews.

"Fili! Kili! Gather wood for the fire," he ordered, before turning toward Cirashala.

"Cirashala, help Bombur with supper," he ordered. She had paled when he looked at her, but hastened to Bombur's side quickly. Bombur handed her the dead bird, and she took it and stared at it for a moment, trembling a bit. Bombur turned toward her.

"Well, what are you waiting for, lass?" he asked. "The bird isn't going to pluck itself." Her eyes widened and she quickly grabbed the feathers and began to pull on them, brown gloved hands fisting into the feathers as she did so. The feathers didn't give well, and she tugged harder, before jumping with a slight yelp as they came free suddenly, showering above her head.

Her cheeks burned with shame as she hung her head, the loud, boisterous laughter of the company ringing all around her. She bit her lip as she blinked tears out of her eyes, hands fisting into the pheasant feathers once more. She began to rapidly tug, fistfuls of feathers flying around her as her eyes blurred.

"Lass easy now. You will tear the bird to shreds. Lass?" A hand on hers stopped her, and she looked up into the rotund dwarf's face, swallowing hard as she fought for composure. Bombur saw the tear filled eyes threatening to spill, and his eyes widened in realization.

"You've never plucked a bird before, have you?" he asked her quietly. She shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut.

"I-I'm- f-forgive me, my lord," she stuttered, her hands shaking with shame as a few tears escaped her scrunched eyelids. "I did not mean to ruin supper," she whispered. Bombur's eyes widened comically as the girl's shaking shoulders slumped in defeat. It took him a minute to speak, he was so shocked.

"L-land sakes, child, I am no lord!" he sputtered. "I'm just a mere toymaker!" His outburst caused the activity to pause around camp as thirteen dwarves and a hobbit stared at the young girl, their eyes wide and jaws agape as they froze in the positions they had been in when the toymaker had spoken.

Fili and Kili had just returned with the wood from the fire, and it clattered to the ground as they stared at the girl in astonishment. Oin and Gloin looked up from the nearly complete fire pit, while Ori had frozen with his quill still dripping onto his journal. Dori and Nori had been in an argument, their hands still raised from where they had been gesturing, and Bofur gazed at her from a log he had been sitting on, pipe still halfway to his mouth.

Bifur hadn't seemed to notice anything amiss, though he gazed at the pair curiously. And Thorin, Balin, and Dwalin had turned from their conversation off to the side, eyes wide. Balin held a map of Middle-earth in his hands, as they had been discussing tomorrow's route.

Bilbo was the first to break the silence, having been laying out his bedroll at the time of the outburst. The hobbit jumped up, with Bofur right behind and strode immediately to the pair.

"There's nothing to it, Miss Cirashala," the hobbit started.

"Aye, lass," Bofur replied, picking up the haphazardly plucked bird. "You have to pull the feathers the opposite way they are laying, like this." He showed her, pulling the feathers out easily as Bilbo looked over her shoulder, nodding in approval and partially shielding her from the stares of the company at the same time.

She watched for a moment, before taking the bird from Bofur's hands and attempting the task. She found it to be much easier than she had been doing before, and both the hobbit and two dwarves nodded in approval. Bilbo placed his hand on her shoulder reassuringly, smiling.

"Aye, just like that lass," Bombur replied, before he and Bofur shot the still staring company with glares and raised eyebrows.

As if a spell was broken, the company resumed their activities. Fili and Kili quickly gathered up the dropped pile of wood, Oin going to assist them as Gloin lit the tinder on fire in the pit. Ori looked down at his journal and gasped, before grabbing a blotting tissue and frantically trying to clean up the inky blotch that had pooled on the page.

Dori and Nori looked at each other in comical bewilderment, neither having remembered what their argument had been about.

Thorin looked back at Balin and Dwalin, the elder gracing him with a deep frown.

"Lord Bombur?" Balin said accusingly, and Thorin looked somewhat sheepish. "Thorin, this has gone on long enough. She is not only terrified of you, but of the entire company." Dwalin sighed.

"As much as I wish to disagree with my brother, he is right," Dwalin muttered. "She will be useless if we are attacked in this state."

"She will try to protect everyone, and end up protecting no one and getting herself killed," Balin agreed, and Thorin nodded. He sighed loudly, before glancing at the girl.

"After supper is distributed," he said, and the two lords nodded.


	22. Chapter 22

_**I do not own any of the characters or the Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC) those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reull Tolkien, and without his genius, this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.**_

_**Please review! I love getting them-they keep me encouraged! J**_

After the pheasants were plucked, the innards had to be cleaned out. Cirashala, despite the rather disgusting smell, was relieved. This she could do. She felt very embarrassed about crying over as silly of a thing as a few haphazardly plucked feathers, but really, it was far more than that.

It was the fear that she had failed yet again. She didn't want to anger Thorin again, fearing his wrath. The only way she knew she could do that was to be very polite and respectful to every member of the company, and not mess anything else up. She still ached over the loss of her family, and felt that she was to blame.

She had been driving, and as she went over the event numerous times during the long walk that afternoon, she felt as though she could have done something. She should have done something to stop it. Turned the wheel a different direction, hit the brake sooner, paid attention more. Somehow, she felt that it was her fault her family died. Her fault, that under that upturned earth had lain the bodies of her loving husband and her beautiful, precious, sweet girls. One a sweet baby, still toddling on unsteady legs as she explored the world around her. One a four year old, so smart and talented and determined to do everything by herself, and yet still crawled into her mama's bed to cuddle every morning after daddy left for work.

Wracked with survivor's guilt, she could not bear to have any member of the company die because of her presence here in Middle-earth. She knew that certain members of the company were destined to die at the end, and pushed that thought away. Fili and Kili were far too young, far too kind, and far too undeserving of their fate. The two had shown her far more kindness than she could ever deserve, and she felt many times that they should have left her to her fate in the troll cave. No one should be kind to a child killer. And she felt that was what she was-a young woman who killed her husband and children because she happened to be unable to prevent their death in that terrible accident. Thorin should have beaten her to death. It was far less than she deserved.

All of this came to a head when faced with the unfamiliar task of plucking the pheasant. While she was a very good cook in her world, and had had some experience with farm animals, she had never started actually cooking with newly killed animals before. The closest she had ever come to removing the outside of an animal came in her Anatomy and Physiology class in college when she had to dissect a preserved cat. And the cat didn't have feathers.

Her mortification had come from fear that, because of ruining supper (as she perceived she had), Thorin would be furious, and her well deserved end would come. She was walking on eggshells around the company, fearing all of them save Bilbo.

The hobbit had truly been a blessing. He was a gentleman, but more than that, she could see genuine empathy in his gaze. He was an outsider among the group, same as she, and he felt nearly as much out of place among the tightly knit group of dwarves as she did.

_Well, almost, _she thought to herself as she scooped entrails out of the dead bird. _At least he is actually _from _Middle-earth, and knows how to pluck dead birds. Which is more than I can say for myself. _

XXX

Having cleaned and washed out the birds (and thrown the entrails in the fire), Bombur looked at her.

"Do you know how to roast a bird at least?" he asked her, his voice gentle. She nodded, breathing a sigh of relief. _That _she could do.

"If it is on a spit, I can do that," she said so softly that the ginger haired dwarf almost didn't hear her. He nodded, turning to Bofur.

"Brother, would you go get the turning rod and Y rods out of my pack?" he asked, and Bofur nodded, making his way to the pack. He returned within seconds carrying the items, and stabbed the Y shaped iron rods into the ground on either side of the fire.

Bombur handed the girl the turning rod.

"Hold this," he instructed, and shoved the dead birds onto the spit, skewering them through the now empty body cavity. The rod was a bit heavy after both birds were on it, but Bombur grabbed the opposite end and they both placed the handled rod on the Y rods. Bombur turned to her.

"I will get some spices from my bag. Start turning them, and make sure they roast evenly," he instructed, heading toward his bedroll that Bofur had rolled out beside his own. Cirashala nodded and began to rotate the pheasants, turning them every few minutes so that each side would have exposure to the fire.

Her eyes drifted over the fire, and she shielded her eyes with the hand that was not turning the spit, before they lit up a bit. Finally, she could put some of her survival skills to use! Bombur returned with the spices, and as he mixed them with water and began to brush them on the birds, Cirashala turned toward him.

"Mister Bombur?" she asked. Bombur looked up. Cirashala pointed to what she had seen, and the large dwarf followed her finger.

"There are cattails over there through those bushes I think. They aren't quite as good as potatoes, but they would go well with the roasted pheasant," she said, and Bombur's eyes crinkled as a large grin broke out.

"Aye, I suppose they would, lass," he said with a wink. "Off you go then! We need to get them started so they are done in time." Cirashala scurried up, and headed past Ori and through the bushes.

XXX

She picked her way carefully through the now dark wood, lit only by the slightly waning moon. She still wasn't positive it had been cattails she had seen, but they sure had looked like it. She hoped it hadn't been merely shadows playing tricks with her mind.

She took great care with each step she made, knowing that cattails grew in marshes and that she did not want to get stuck, or trip into a slimy bog. She had no way of knowing how long it would be until they found another river, and really didn't want to walk through Middle-earth covered in dank algae-ridden muck. Plus, she hated mosquitoes, and didn't want to gain any bites.

_I should have brought a torch, _she thought to herself. With the shadows of the trees, it was almost too hard to see where she was going. She finally reached the small pond, sighing in relief when she saw her eyes had not tricked her, and carefully began to wade toward the tall cattails. She reached the first patch, the water halfway up her boots, and reached up to pull it off.

It didn't budge, and she groaned. She sighed as she drew her sword, determined to not take any more impromptu "swims" today. She felt ridiculous as she began to use her sword to hack at the base of the brown prize atop the cattail, feeling pretty darn confident that was _not_ what Lord Elrond had in mind for the sword when he gave it to her.

The cattail's reed snapped back upright as the long, round cattail end came loose, and she realized that she had not brought any sort of basket to carry it in either. She sighed, before holding her prize in the crook of her arm as she reached around to grab her cloak.

She held the gray cloak in front of her as a pouch, before realizing that she needed two hands to harvest the cattails. Tucking two sides of it into her belt solved the problem, and she quickly managed to collect fourteen more. Hoping the dwarves would be content to have just one each, she turned around and began to make her way back to camp, sword still drawn. She didn't want to put it back in her scabbard until it was cleaned.

She had just made her way to the edge of the marsh, but still among the reeds, when she heard a twig snap off to the side. Her eyes widened, and she sank down to just above the water.

Gripping her sword tightly, she held it in front of her, somewhat annoyed that she now may as well have a pregnant belly with the fifteen cattails in the cloak in front of her.

The rustling continued, and she was just about to leap out of her hiding place, when the light from a torch appeared on the trees in front of her. She waited silently, her heart racing as she tried to breathe as silently as she could.

XXX

Thorin sighed to himself in frustration. The foolish girl had left the camp alone. Didn't she realize that they were in the wild? He was impressed with the way she had managed to get the arrow out-he didn't think she would have been able to figure it out. But sneaking off from camp without taking someone else with her was just foolish.

"Mahumub!" he growled to himself under his breath as he searched through the bushes.

_ Doesn't she realize she could get herself killed out here? She is really far too inexperienced for this, _he thought to himself.

Hadn't he told her to help Bombur with supper? Why was the toymaker sitting by himself roasting the pheasants then? He stopped short as he heard a very slight rustling to his left, almost inaudible. Turning, his eyes beheld a slight flash of steel amidst the reeds, and his hand drifted upward to the hilt of his sword.

He drew it silently, before setting the torch down on a rock and creeping up toward where the glint was, stepping lightly. He held it at the ready, before he jumped ahead with a growl and swung it downward toward the dark shaded figure in the water.

XXX

The growl and the unmistakable clang of steel against steel reverberated through the forest, causing the company to jump up in startle. Several pairs of eyes darted between each other, and Dwalin cursed loudly as he realized Thorin was not with them. Fili and Kili's eyes widened, before both drew their weapons.

"Thorin!" Fili cried as they took off at a run toward the direction of the sounds, diving into the underbrush.

Bombur paled, staring in the direction the sound had come from as the company began to follow the two princes through the underbrush. The same direction Cirashala had gone.

"Wait!" he shouted, running after the dwarves. "Lower your weapons!" But no one heeded his frantic cries.

The two lads reached Thorin quickly, and stopped dead at the sight, their eyes wide. Dwalin and Balin, who were right behind them, didn't have time to react as the younger pair stopped suddenly, and nearly ran into them, barely missing them with their weapons.

"T-Thorin?" Fili's questioning voice wavered, as he stared wide eyed at his uncle, who was frozen in place.

"Uncle?" Kili's voice echoed, barely breathing as he stared at his uncle in shock. "W-what are you—"

"Thorin!" Balin's angry voice sounded above them. "What in Mahal's name do you think you are doing?"

Suddenly Thorin seemed to snap out of whatever trance he was in, and gasped as he drew back, lowering his sword.

The shuddering form of Cirashala was also frozen in place, curled in on herself with her eyes shut tight and breathing heavily. She was clutching the rather lumpy "pouch" in her front with her left arm as her right arm was raised, holding the sword she carried in an overhead block. A block-that had saved her life.

XXX

Balin looked from a shocked and stunned Thorin to the girl, before sheathing his sword and turning to the company.

"Nothing to see here! Get back to camp!" he barked, and the company immediately turned around and headed back to camp, except for Dwalin, Balin, Fili and Kili. Bombur also lingered, his eyes wide.

Dwalin glanced to Bombur, and glared at him.

"You heard him! Back to camp, and don't let supper burn!" the burly dwarf growled, and Bombur turned and scampered off, looking back a few times at Cirashala with worry on his face.

The two princes sheathed their weapons, and jumped back as Balin rushed past them, before kneeling cautiously in front of Cirashala, who still hadn't moved.

"Lassie?" he asked softly. She let out a strangled cry and swung her sword forward, eyes still shut as she sprung up. Balin jumped backward, having expected it, and grasped her wrist easily, before bringing his hand up and prying her white knuckled fingers off the sword hilt. Taking the sword, he reached behind him, handing it to Dwalin.

She was shaking like a leaf, and her eyes slowly opened. Dwalin had gone and retrieved the torch, and held it up, the light revealing her white face. She glanced fearfully at Thorin, before backing up hastily and turning to run, only to smack straight into Kili. He threw up his arms defensively, grabbing her to keep her from continuing to run, and hoping that she wouldn't strike him again.

"No! No, please! Please don't let him kill me!" she cried out, shaking violently in her fear. Kili looked up at his uncle, who looked about ready to vomit. Fili did as well, before moving to stand in front of his brother and the young woman.

"He won't," Fili said, his voice laced with steel as he planted his feet and fixed his uncle with a dangerous stare. "We won't let him harm an innocent girl."

"Aye," Kili agreed, arms tightening a bit around her. Balin looked at the two brothers, before looking at Thorin.

"Now, Thorin," he said, his voice saying plainly, _you are not getting out of this._

Thorin sighed, sheathing his sword as he swallowed heavily. He made to move past Fili, who stepped in his path.

"Fili, move," he said quietly, and the blonde shook his head.

"Not until I have your word that you will not lay a hand on her," he replied, looking his slightly taller uncle in the eye and crossing his arms.

"You have my word," Thorin said. Fili gave him a hard look, before stepping aside. Kili slowly lowered his arms, stepping back, but Thorin could see that his younger nephew was following his every movement with his dark eyes. He had no doubt that his eldest nephew was following him as well.

She didn't run, and Thorin breathed a sigh of relief, stopping several feet away from her in hopes that the distance would not frighten her any more than it already had. He looked at her, and the wide blue eyes immediately darted toward the ground. Her chest was moving rapidly, indicating her quick, anxious breathing. Thorin's eyes traveled toward the strange, slightly wet bundle in front of her, his brows furrowing in confusion.

"What do you think you were doing, going off on your own?" he heard himself say. "This is the wild! You could have been seriously hurt!" She flinched as though she was struck, and he mentally cursed himself for speaking without more control. He could see Kili tense, eyes fixed on him as his hand clenched. The dwarf king took a deep breath, sighing.

"The block was done fairly well, though you should keep your eyes open next time," he continued, his voice less gruff as he averted his eyes. He paused for a moment, clearly uncomfortable. Her eyes hesitantly raised toward his, and he looked at her for a brief moment before turning. He walked a few paces, before stopping and looking slightly over his shoulder. "And don't go wandering off by yourself again. Take someone with you next time."

XXX

Cirashala's eyes rested on Thorin's back as he returned to camp. She was completely dumbfounded.

"D-did he just…apologize?" she asked, confused. She looked at Balin, and the old dwarf smiled, winking at her. Fili chuckled behind her, and she turned to look at the smirking young dwarf.

"Don't let him hear you say that," he said, before his gaze drifted down to her "belly". He looked back up at her in confusion.

"What in the thunder is in your cloak?" he asked, and her eyes widened as she looked down.

"Oh, no! If I don't get them on now, they will never get done in time!" she cried, before grabbing the bundle in both arms and rushing, or rather waddling quickly, back to camp, leaving four very bewildered dwarves behind her.

"Do you think she wants her sword back?" Dwalin asked, holding up the sword. At the sight of such a light weapon in the burly warrior's hand, and then the waddling young woman running rather like a hunch backed duck to the fire, the other three dwarves burst out laughing.

XXX

Cirashala waddled back into camp, fighting to keep from losing the cattails out of her makeshift pouch. She paid no mind to the bewildered stares of the company, and deposited her load down in front of Bombur.

"Th-there's the….cattails for you," she gasped out, panting after running hunched over. The grinning dwarf took them quickly, and threw them into a pot filled with boiling water.

"They will cook more quickly this way than putting them in the coals," he explained when he saw the confusion on her face. She nodded, and he smiled.

"I've got it from here, lass. Why don't you go lay out your bedroll?" the dwarf said, turning back toward the spit. She nodded, and went to her pack.

She grabbed the blanket out of it, and found a spot slightly away from the dwarves. She made sure that there were no anthills or snakeholes, and moved the few rocks and pinecones out of the way before laying her blanket out. She placed her pack at the head of it, and her weapons off to the side so they could be easily reached in the night. She bundled up the end of the long blanket to where her head would be in a makeshift pillow, before laying down on the roll, glad to rest her weary legs.

By the time dinner was done, Bilbo approached her with her bowl, only to find the exhausted girl curled up on her bedroll with her hand fisted tightly on her bow, sound asleep.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**_Yay, Thorin apologized! That concludes the first day back on the road with the company :) What an eventful day!_**

**_A response to Guest reviewer Ri-chan- She is a bit weepy because she is still grieving, and because she is still suffering some residual of fear from Thorin losing his temper. She does not want to risk making him angry again and attacking her-she really thought he was going to kill her. She can be very tough and strong, but at the moment she is still scared being in a dangerous world that she is finding she does but doesn't know about. She doesn't know why she's here, and the stress she has on her shoulders because she is afraid the fate of Middle-earth rests on her is huge (much like the strain the burden of carrying the Ring put on Frodo in LOTR but without the evil part), and she is suffering from survivor's guilt (an actual mental condition where someone survives a traumatic event but their friends or family don't and they feel guilty for living while the others died, and in her part because she was driving she feels that her family's death is on her hands as well-my husband is studying to be a counselor so I am familiar with some of these conditions). It wasn't the fact that she was plucking the pheasant improperly at all-that was just the straw that broke things so to speak. If Thorin hadn't attacked her, she wouldn't have cried about it. It was the fear that the dwarves would be angry with her because of it. Right now, after what Thorin did, she feels she cannot trust them to not harm her. She will be toughening up here very soon, most likely a bit after Thorin makes his apology. I hope this chapter addressed some of your questions! :)_**

**_Thanks to all who reviewed, favorite, and followed! If any of you have a question as a guest reviewer in the future, my replies will be attached at the end of the next chapter like this one is :)_**


	23. Chapter 23

_**I do not own any of the characters or the Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC) those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reull Tolkien, and without his genius, this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.**_

_**Please review! I love getting them-they keep me encouraged! J**_

Cirashala slept deeply for a few hours, until a terrifying nightmare about what happened to her family jolted her awake with a low, strangled cry. She lay on her bedroll, shivering under her cloak as tears streamed down her face. She muffled her sobs with the blanket so the company wouldn't hear her cry.

The fire crackled behind her, each of the dwarves adding more on their watches as the orange flames began to wane. Kili was on watch, having the third watch of the night, and he turned as he heard the sudden shuffle. His hand stilled from where it had been sharpening his sword. He could see the shivers emanating from the grey cloak, and his eyebrows furrowed together in confusion.

_Why is she so far away from the fire? _He thought to himself. _She would be much warmer if she were near it. _

He looked up as he heard familiar footsteps approaching, and saw his brother returning from a late night visit to the bushes. He sat down beside his dark haired brother with a sigh. They were often put on watch together, for it was widely known by over half the company that if one was awake, the other could not sleep. As such, they decided that it would be better to put them both on watch together rather than have them both tired and cranky the next day, which boded well for no one.

Fili looked toward the restless girl, and back toward Kili.

"How long has she been shivering?" he whispered, and Kili shrugged.

"I don't know," he whispered back. "I only heard her rustling a few minutes ago." The two looked at her curiously, noting that her blanket was folded under her, not over her. Fili looked at his younger brother as Kili began to sharpen his sword again, and held his hands out toward the fire, rubbing them a bit.

"It's no wonder she's cold," he replied. "She's laying _on_ her blanket, not under it. 'Tis barely past Midyear's day, and the nights are still very cool."

Kili nodded, his gaze returning to her as his hand moved the small whetstone in circles along his blade. His gaze seemed lost in thought as he replayed the events of the past day, and he turned to his brother.

"Fee, d-do you really think Uncle was going to kill her?" he asked, his whispering voice sounding very small. "W-when he thought she hurt me?" Fili stared into the fire in silence, and Kili's hand stilled as he lowered his head to gaze at his lap. There was a pause, before the elder sighed.

"I don't know," he replied honestly. "Uncle Thorin has never been one to pay much attention to women, but he has always seemed to treat them respectfully. I have never seen him grab one before, nor have I ever heard of him striking one. I thought he would never go so far as to harm a woman, but, after today…" his voice trailed off, uncertain.

"I-I don't understand it," Kili replied. "She has done nothing wrong. S-she saved me, and she helped me when I hurt my arm. She answered to Lord Elrond and Gandalf, and helped keep me from admitting that I was clumsy _again_, and she—she was willing to go without _food _so that we could leave Rivendell. She even pledged loyalty to him! Why did uncle treat her that way? Why did he pull a _sword _on her, for Durin' sake?!" The dark eyes locked with his brother's blue, and confusion and anger swirled in them.

"I think the sword might have been an accident," Fili replied. "It was hard to see without a torch, and there were strange shadows everywhere. Uncle may have seen the sword and thought she was an orc. Didn't you see his face when he realized it? I don't think I have _ever_ seen him freeze like that before."

"That still doesn't explain why he grabbed her when he saw my cut," Kili said quietly. "He was gripping her arm so hard his knuckles were _white_." Fili let his breath out slowly.

"I think he genuinely thought she hurt you," he said after a moment. "And, if she had, it would have taken every bit of control I had to keep from hurting her myself," he admitted, eyes downcast. Kili's gaze shot toward his brother.

"But, Fili! She is a girl!" he whispered loudly, his face aghast. Fili held up his hand, looking at his brother with the expression on his face deadly serious.

"I know she looks very young, and I don't know how old she actually is, but she is old enough to have married and had two children," he corrected. "She is old enough to understand right from wrong, and had she harmed you, she would have known what she was doing. I may not have harmed her or killed her had she dared to harm you, but she certainly would have been put in a dungeon for the rest of her life, even if I had to build one myself." Kili looked at him for a moment, seeing the truth and protectiveness in his brother's eyes, before sighing and looking back at her.

"But she didn't hurt me. She helped me, and she shouldn't have been frightened so badly because of it," he said quietly. "Now, she is so terrified of us that she would risk the cold rather than be near the fire—and us." Fili's eyes followed his gaze, and he frowned.

"She would still be warmer if she would even just get under her blanket," he replied. Kili nodded. He glanced at the moon, just visible above the treetops.

"Our watch is over," he said quietly, sheathing his sword. The two stood up, and Fili headed over to Ori, who was next on watch. Kili watched him go, before returning his gaze to the still shivering girl.

_Young woman, _he reminded himself. He hesitated for a minute, before making up his mind. He walked toward her slowly and quietly. Perhaps he could at least maneuver her blanket out from under her without waking her.

XXX

As Kili approached the bedroll, he heard a strange, muffled sound. He paused, and listened. After a moment, he shook his head, convinced he was hearing things. He continued on until he crouched down behind the sleeping form of Cirashala, who had her back to the fire. He reached to turn her over, when he heard a slight sniffle, and froze. He saw her shoulders shaking, and his eyes widened as he realized she was crying. He hesitated, glancing over his shoulder at Ori, who didn't pay him any mind. Unsure of what to do, he lightly touched her shoulder. He heard a small gasp, and felt her body go rigid.

"Cirashala?" he said softly, pulling his hand back. "A-are you all right?"

"'m fine, my lord" her muffled voice replied, and Kili could hear the slight choke in it. He heard another sniffle, and stood up and moved to the front of her, crouching down. She burrowed her face in the bundled blanket, hiding it from view.

"You would be warmer if you used your blanket," he said gently. She slowly raised her face from the blanket, and he could see the fear and wariness in her gaze. He could also see that she had been crying. She noticed him searching her face, and flinched, hurriedly wiping her eyes.

"Forgive me, my lord," she whispered quickly, flushing slightly. "I did not mean to wake you with my weakness. I will not disturb your sleep again." Kili's eyes widened as she scrambled up quickly and scooped her pack and blanket into her arms. She made to hurry past him, and he stood quickly in front of her, holding up his hands.

"Wait!" he whispered, and she froze. He could see her trembling, and noticed how her eyes refused to meet his.

"You didn't wake me," he said softly. "I was on watch." She swallowed nervously.

"Then I will leave you to it, my lord," she whispered, before attempting to pass him again. Kili stepped into her path again, and she looked up at him in confusion, before turning and looking back at the camp. Kili saw Ori looking at them from across the fire with a bewildered look on his face, and inwardly groaned.

"If you wish to move, move nearer to the fire," he said, speaking loud enough that Ori could hear him, but quietly enough that no one else woke up. "The night is still cool, and you are obviously cold." He looked at her pointedly, and she lowered her eyes and nodded.

"As you wish, my lord," she repeated, bowing her head slightly before turning quickly. Kili sighed in frustration, looking despondently at the girl as she laid her bedroll slightly closer to the fire, but still well outside the circle of heat it gave off. At least she put the blanket above her this time.

He walked over and laid down on his bedroll next to his now sleeping brother, and put his face in the crook of his elbow. He was fairly certain he knew why she had been crying. He had had enough nightmares about nearly getting killed himself, and he easily recognized the look on her face for what it was. He was sure the day's events had been very harrowing for her.

However, he didn't know how she seemed to know his royal status. Perhaps Gandalf or Lord Elrond had mentioned it? She had called Bombur Lord too, and he almost chuckled at the thought of the kind, ginger haired dwarf being a lord. Perhaps she was just so frightened of them that she didn't dare to call them less for fear of insulting them? Her puzzling words ran through his head. _My lord? As you wish? Forgive me for disturbing you?_

If this was what it was going to be like once the mountain was reclaimed and he was formally crowned a Prince of Erebor, he wasn't quite sure he wanted it.

XXX

The early morning sun began to peek through the trees. Cirashala had finally fallen back into a deep and dreamless sleep only a half hour after she had laid back down, finally having gotten warm.

The dwarves began to awaken, and Bombur set to breakfast as soon as he was up. Several glances were cast in the motionless girl's direction, but she kept sleeping on, oblivious to the stirrings around camp. Her now cold bowl of supper from the night before still sat where Bilbo had set it the night before, untouched.

Balin moved towards her bedroll, before kneeling down and shaking her shoulder lightly.

"Lassie?" he asked gently. When she didn't respond, he shook her shoulder a bit harder and repeated himself. A small whimper escaped her, and she cracked one sleepy eye open at him.

"Is it time for my watch?" she murmered, and Balin shook his head.

"No, lass. It's morning. It is time to wake up," he replied gently, and she immediately sat up quickly, wincing as the movement pulled on her still healing wound. She turned toward Balin, some tendrils that had escaped her braids hanging wildly about her head as she vigorously rubbed the sleep out of her wide eyes.

"Lord Balin, forgive me! N-no one woke me for my watch, and—" He held up his hand, and she went silent, yawning heavily.

"You did not have watch last night, lass," he said gently but firmly. "And no need to call me Lord. Mister Balin is just fine." She looked at him with sleepy blue eyes, and nodded. She glanced at Thorin, who was heading out of camp, before turning toward Balin, who had just begun to stand.

"Er, um, Mister Balin?" she asked hesitantly, shuffling uncomfortably. The old dwarf paused and looked down at her. "I-I know the king said I shouldn't leave camp alone, but…. Can't I leave alone for, well…you know?"she trailed off, face reddening as she bit her lip. Balin looked at her, realization dawning on his face as he watched her awkward shuffle, and chuckled.

"Of course, lassie," he assured her. "Just be sure to take your weapons with you, be careful, and stay within shouting distance." She nodded gratefully, and grabbed her quiver, slinging it across her shoulders.

She silently thanked the old dwarf as she watched him move across camp, for if she had to take one of them with her, she wasn't sure who would be more mortified-her or the unfortunate watchman.

XXX

Kili was still sound asleep as well, having been unable to sleep for a good while after the conversation he had with her last night. Fili glanced toward him, a mischievous glint in his eye. He motioned Bilbo over.

"Bilbo, my dear hobbit, would you care to assist me with something?" he asked in mock innocence. Bilbo gave him a sideways glance, one eyebrow raised.

"Oh, no you don't," he replied warily. "I remember that tone of voice, and the last time one of you used it, you sent me up against three trolls all by myself!" Fili smirked.

"Ah, but you see, master hobbit," here he gestured over his shoulder at Kili, "That little hobgoblin is still asleep, and someone needs to wake him." Bilbo crossed his arms in front of him.

"No," he said simply, and Fili's eyebrows raised up at the blatant refusal.

"Why not?" he asked, and the hobbit looked at him indignantly.

"Because whatever you're planning, I will have no part in it," the hobbit said flatly. Fili sighed, looking around, but the rest of the dwarves were busy with their morning routines. Fili's eyes landed on Kili's boots, and he quietly picked them up, before casually making his way to the pond from the night before. Filling Kili's boot with the dank water, he crept back to camp.

Glancing around camp to make sure Thorin hadn't returned from his morning "activity" yet, he drew his arm back to launch the water filled boot at Kili, before swinging it forward—and smacking Cirashala right in the face as she came around the corner of the tree he was hiding behind.

She shrieked loudly as the boot smacked her in the face, sputtering and spitting out the foul tasting water.

"OW!" she cried, stepping back and holding her throbbing nose. The loud cry roused the sleeping dwarf, who sat up with dark hair sticking all directions and eyes wide, looking around frantically as he grabbed his bow. He caught sight of the now soaking wet Cirashala and Fili behind her, who looked really sheepish.

"Cirashala, I am so sorry!" Fili cried, rushing forward to wipe the muck and slime off her face. She stepped back rapidly away from him, rubbing the boot's contents off her face herself. She cast a hurt look at him as most of the company roared with laughter. The slime and muck dripped slowly down her body and on the ground.

Only three members of the company who were still in the clearing at the time didn't laugh. Kili was still half asleep and confused, looking from her to his boot on the ground, to Fili, and back to the boot. Balin and Bilbo glared at the young dwarf, and both moved toward the pair, Bilbo stopping at his pack briefly.

As Balin approached the young dwarf and began to scold him, Bilbo came up to Cirashala and offered her a handkerchief that he had managed to acquire in Rivendell.

"Thank you, Mr. Baggins," she replied, wiping her face as she walked past Fili and into the trees to take care of her business.

She could hear Fili behind her still apologizing, and glanced over her shoulder to see Balin put his hand on the blond dwarf's arm, keeping him from following her. She didn't know whether the prank was meant for her or not, and guessed it wasn't from Fili's genuinely shocked and apologetic expression.

As she finished her business, and began to head back to camp, she could see Kili giving his brother a dirty look as he scooped up the rest of the sludge out of his boot. Fili stood off to the side, a sour look on his face that was a cross between annoyance and sheepish.

She kicked a pinecone at her feet, and suddenly got an idea. The forest was full of pinecones, and she could easily gather them as she walked. She continued on to camp, her idea formulating in her mind as she drew closer. She glanced sideways at the young blonde dwarf as she returned, busy donning his pack.

_The prank may not have been meant for me,_ she thought. _But if he thinks that he can get away with pranking me and making me walk through Middle-earth stinking like _this_ then he doesn't know who he is dealing with. I will show him that he would be wise to not prank a prankster. _

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**_Hehe. So the slow healing finally begins, and Cirashala begins to regain a spark of life. Fili shouldn't have pranked someone who had done plenty of pranks in her lifetime! _**

**_A response to the guest reviewer for last chapter (who didn't provide their name)-thanks for the info regarding arrows and logistics! I only have blunt practice tips on my arrows, and don't have real (and sharp) tips around because of my children, so I wasn't completely sure how to work it out. I figure that she hit the edge of the tree not the center, so most of the arrow was just in the soft wood between the bark and the trunk, with exception to the end, which had held long enough for her to cross. I don't plan on having her repair the arrow (she doesn't know how to fletch but she does understand warped arrows not working well). Any inconsistencies regarding strength of the arrow in relation to the tree and methods used to pull it out might be able to be resolved by the fact that it was an elvish arrow fashioned in Rivendell. IMO, if a sword can have enough magic in it to glow blue when orcs appear, and if Orcrist "sings" as it looks forward to gracing battle once again, and if Elvish rope can tie and untie at the wielder's will, then I would suppose that elvish arrows are stronger, sharper, and able to do feats that regular arrows cannot do, including not breaking where normal arrows would. And I also decided that, though she does not realize it, Lord Elrond had the bow made with a 35 pound draw weight instead of 25, knowing the tasks that it must handle, but still allowing her to be able to draw it. And, to satisfy your curiosity, it is a longbow, not a recurve, though it is adjusted to four feet in strung length to match her height of 5 foot 1 inch tall. _**

**_Thanks to all who reviewed, favorited, and followed! I appreciate them! J _**


	24. Chapter 24

_**I do not own any of the characters or the Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC) those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reull Tolkien, and without his genius, this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.**_

_**Please review! I love getting them-they keep me encouraged! J**_

All that day, Cirashala would pick up pinecones and stash them in her pack, trying to be discreet. She still had trouble keeping up, but whenever she would lag behind she would sprint for a bit and catch up. She suspiciously thought that a few of the dwarves had started keeping a slightly slower pace in addition to Bilbo, namely the two young heirs and Bombur. She really hoped that wouldn't get them in trouble.

It also proved a bit of a problem that Fili and Kili kept glancing back at her, because she risked them seeing her pick up the pinecones. She managed to be discreet though.

At midday, they stopped for a rest, with Cirashala stumbling her way toward the end of the group as usual. Her feet had at least five blisters each, and they were really beginning to hurt. She refused to mention it through, feeling it to be rather insignificant and feared that the dwarves would just laugh at her for complaining about something so trivial. She still was very weak and had a lack of energy, but all it took was the thought of wargs on their tail to make her be able to continue to move her feet.

_One foot in front of the other, _she thought to herself. _Just keep going like that, and don't think about when the next rest is. _

They had continued on through the forest easily enough afterward, and the tall pines rustled slightly in the breeze. Her clothes remained damp throughout the day, and she wrinkled her nose whenever the slight breeze wafted the dank smell toward her face.

Finally, Thorin called a halt for the night. They had reached the edge of the forest, and though most of the dwarves would prefer to make camp in a cave or something, they all agreed that the tree line provided better cover than none. They were now in the foothills of the Misty Mountains, and the cold air coursing down from their peaks was sure to be very cold in the night. It would be much warmer to camp among the trees, which provided a break from the wind.

She took her pack off, before sitting next to the tree she had been leaning up against since she had stumbled into camp. Resisting the urge to take her boots off to inspect the blisters (and see if there was any way she could cushion them more and still allow her feet to fit into them), she leaned her head back and sipped slowly but consistently from her water skin. She had been doing so all day, determined to gain as much strength as she could as quickly as she could.

She glanced down at the slightly bulging pack at her side, shaking her head in wonder at how much heavier the pinecones seemed to get with each mile she walked. She hoped the prank was worth it. She had her misgivings about pranking Thorin's nephew, but one whiff from her rank tunic or throb of her sore nose dismissed them.

She just had to figure out how to get to Fili's bedroll for a few minutes without him (or any of the others) realizing it.

XXX

Bombur decided to make a stew with some of the salted meat, since Kili had not killed anything for supper today. Unfortunately, dwarves were not the quietest when tramping their heavy bodies and boots through the brush, and whatever game they did see that day had fled before it was in range of Kili's bow.

The lad had had to go hunt down several arrows that had missed their too far away quarries, until Thorin ordered him to only shoot something in range to stop the delays. Since nothing had been in range, they had to suffice with their food supplies.

Cirashala approached the cook cautiously, but Bombur saw her hands filled with a bundle wrapped in a large handkerchief and greeted her with a smile.

"Got more things for supper, lass?" he asked her, and she nodded hesitantly.

"Um, well, I—I don't know if dwarves would like them," she said nervously, before producing a few handfuls of wild raspberries that she had picked as they passed by some berry bushes. She bit her lip and looked at the cook.

"Well," he said, glancing around camp quickly. "Perhaps they wouldn't mind them stewed and spread over cram to go along with the stew." She visibly let out the breath she had been holding, and Bombur realized how nervous she had been. He realized that she had fallen asleep before she could eat the delicious supper the night before, and hadn't seen how welcome her addition of cattails had been among the dwarves.

"Might even make the darn things palatable," Bilbo added as he approached the two. Bombur chuckled.

"Now, see Bilbo, you just need to get some stronger teeth. Cram really isn't all _that_ bad," the dwarf grinned, a sly twinkle sparkling under his bushy eyebrows. Bilbo rolled his eyes.

"It's like chewing a dog's bone," the hobbit replied, grimacing slightly before pointing at the dwarf. "I will grow stronger teeth when you decide to stop eating!" Bombur's eyes widened in horror, and several members of the company laughed uproariously at the comical expression on the cook's face.

"_Bombur _stop eating! There's something I would never bet on!" Bofur gasped between guffaws.

"I don't think that's even possible!" Fili added, looking at his heartily agreeing brother.

Cirashala's mouth twitched, before a shadow fell over her eyes. She wordlessly grabbed a smaller pot and put the raspberries in it, adding a little bit of water before mixing it up and setting it next to the fire.

"D-do you have any sugar at all, Mister Bombur?" she asked quietly.

"What do you need sugar for?" the dwarf asked. Cirashala averted her eyes and looked down at the ground, picking at the dirt. She didn't answer for a moment, and Bombur's brows furrowed together.

"Lass?" he asked quietly. She looked up with a sad expression, and he could tell she blinked tears out of the corner of her eyes.

"I used to stew berries," she whispered. "They were too tart straight, so I would add some sugar. My-my daughters loved them." She swallowed hard and closed her eyes, obviously fighting the urge to cry, and the round dwarf looked at her with a sympathetic expression.

He knew loss as well. Many dwarves had lost family members in his lifetime-first when the dragon attacked Erebor, then he saw families broken further when their husbands, sons, and brothers did not return from the Battle of Azanulbizar, his own father being one of them. He was no stranger to grief. He could not imagine what he would feel if one of his own children were to die so young. She looked so young herself, undoubtedly her children must have been mere babes, if not little more than that.

He silently rifled through his pack, before producing a small tin of sugar. He handed it to her, and gave her a small smile.

"Mind you don't use too much, lass," he warned, speaking gently. "That's all the sugar we've got."

She nodded, and sprinkled a small amount of sugar on the berries, which had just begun to steam.

XXX

The stewed raspberries had been a hit, and several of the dwarves came back for seconds as they spread them over the cram. She had just sat off to the side, nibbling slowly at her supper and nodding to those who thanked her for the fruit spread.

Kili had to be told by Bofur that he had had enough raspberries when he came back for the third time. They had been absolutely delicious, and he had always had an incorrigible sweet tooth. He had chuckled when the hobbit's eyes had lit up after his first taste of the cram with the warm raspberries spread on top, and for the first time when eating cram, Bilbo actually seemed eager to eat it.

_They must be palatable for him now, _he thought to himself, shaking his head. Inwardly, he heartily agreed with the hobbit when it came to the hard biscuits. They were ridiculously hard to chew, and rather bland at that.

He glanced over at the young woman out of the corner of his eye, who was eating off to the side. She looked up, and he quickly glanced back down at his bowl, hoping she hadn't noticed. Fili had been saying something to him, but his thoughts drowned out his brother.

Fili had said she was old enough to have had two children, but she barely looked like she was of age. Of course, he didn't know what age was considered their majority regarding humans, nor did he know at what age they married.

_They must marry very young, _he thought. _At least, the women do. _

He had seen the shadow flit across her face before she told Bombur about making berries for her children. He vaguely remembered when his father died, and how empty he had felt inside. But, Uncle Thorin had become a very prominent figure in their life, and though he was not their father, Kili had often felt as such. He knew Thorin tried to be a father figure to him and his brother, though he admittedly wasn't always very good at it.

Fili had taken their father's death very hard, and for the first time in his young life Kili had been the one comforting his elder brother. His mother has refused to eat or sleep for nearly a week before Thorin and Oin had convinced her to eat, and Oin had given her a sleeping draught. She had been a mere ghost of a shell for months afterward, until Thorin, along with Balin's help, had convinced her that she still had two young boys that loved her and needed her.

Kili marveled at how, a mere week after her family's death, Cirashala seemed to be able to fight to continue on, though her grief still pained her. Though she was far meeker than any dwarf woman he had ever seen, he could see a quiet strength within her at her sheer ability to be able to put other's needs before her own, and a stubbornness and determination that she would not be left behind.

He wondered if her nightmare the night previous hadn't been about the warg attack at all, but rather if she was just simply grieving over her family. Durin only knows at how many nights he and Fili had cried over the loss of their father, and Dis her husband. Even now, so many years afterward, Kili could still occasionally see the ghost of a shadow enter his mother's eyes when she beheld her eldest, who had inherited his father's golden locks. Though Fili did resemble Thorin in many ways, his golden colored hair had definitely come from their Firebeard father.

"Kili? I asked you a question," Fili's voice cut through his thoughts, and he nodded absentmindedly while muttering in agreement, not knowing what his brother had even said. Fili looked sidelong at him, confusion in his face.

"Kili, I asked you how long did you think that Bombur could go without food," Fili said slowly, eyes searching his now flushing brother's face.

"Oh, um, less than a day," he muttered. A few dwarves chuckled, and Bombur protested indignantly in the background. Kili glanced at his brother, who still looked at him in slight worry, but Kili smiled at him and winked, hoping it would put his brother at ease.

Fili shrugged, dismissing his brother's distraction, before heading off into the bushes to take care of his business before it was time to sleep.

XXX

Cirashala saw Fili head out, and eyed his bedroll as several of the dwarves once again crowded around for some of the raspberry spread. She glanced to the side, and saw Thorin and Dwalin in discussion as they faced away from camp out onto the open plain.

Realizing that this was her only chance to execute her plan, she slipped backwards into the brush, where she had set her pack behind a tree. She pulled her hood up, hoping that the cover of night would aid her in her plan, and opened her pack.

Piling all the pinecones in her spare tunic to aid in carrying them, she fastened her pack before stealing around the perimeter of camp. She went from tree to tree as silently as she could, hoping that none of the dwarves would see her and mistake her for anything again. She definitely did not want a repeat of the terrifying event the night before.

She crept up behind Fili's bedroll, which had already been laid out, the head of it propped up against a fallen log. There was a very small boulder between his bedroll and the fire, and she hoped that the two items would aid in concealing her. She took a quick glance, before sliding over the log and dropping down into a small ball next to his bedroll.

She quickly picked up the folded blanket, before emptying her "carrying case" of pinecones under it. She ran her hands over it, smoothing them out into an even layer, when a shadow fell across the blanket. She gasped, and looked up into the startled face of Kili, who looked between her and the pinecones under her hand-and his brother's blanket.

_Oh, I knew this was a bad idea, _she thought, her eyes widening in panic. _Thorin is really going to be pissed at me now. _

XXX

Kili stared down at the frozen young woman for half a second, not saying a word, before his head snapped up at the sound of rustling bushes. He quickly bent down next to her and pulled Fili's blanket over the "mattress" she had given him, before looking up at her.

"Go," he whispered, "Hurry. He's coming back." She looked wide eyed at him, and he gently pushed her towards the log.

"Go!" he whispered again, more urgency in his voice as he glanced behind her, and then at the still distracted company behind him, now arguing about who got the last bit of the berry spread. She scrambled over the log, before creeping quickly around the tree line.

She had just sat down on her own bedroll when Fili came back into camp. He walked over to the fire, and groaned when he found that Nori had managed to nick the last bit of spread as Gloin and Bombur had argued over who would get it. She glanced nervously at Kili on the log by the fire, who subtly winked at her before glancing at Fili then back at her and shaking his head ever so slightly.

_Don't look at him, or he will know you did it, _his gaze seemed to say, and she nodded slightly before continuing to eat.

Fili turned around and headed grumpily back to his bedroll. Cirashala stared intently into her bowl, still nibbling at it and trying not to appear too obvious as she glanced discreetly at the blond dwarf as he approached the bedroll, grumbling. He flopped onto it with a loud crunch, and his eyes widened comically before he jumped up with a loud cry.

"Oi!" he cried, rubbing his backside, before yanking the blanket back. "Who put pinecones under my bedroll?!"

The dwarves began laughing, and Kili snorted before dissolving in giggles as he almost fell off the log he was perched on in his laughter. Cirashala merely looked down into her bowl, seeming to ignore the whole charade, though Kili did notice her eyebrows rise slightly. Fili glared at his brother, and their eyes met, Kili's face bearing a wide grin. Fili's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Kili!" he shouted, before he ran towards him. Kili jumped up and used the log he had been perched on to jump over a ducking Ori. Fili chased his brother about camp, dodging and jumping over people as Kili ran around the fire to try and get away from him. Even Cirashala ducked as Kili jumped over her with his long legs, forcing Fili to go around her for fear of kicking her with his shorter legs if he should try to jump over her.

The two ended up meeting in the open area in front of Cirashala as Kili tripped on a rock and Fili tackled him from behind. They landed in a heap and began to wrestle, Kili laughing and Fili yelling as he tried to pin him. The others took bets on who would win, and Thorin and Balin returned from scouting to see Fili just pinning Kili, the younger cursing as he tried to release the elder's hold, but to no avail.

"Teaches you to put pinecones in my bed!" Fili said, smirking from his perch atop his brother.

"Get off me!" Kili growled, "You have a bony arse!" Fili just wiggled his hips and made himself more comfortable, eliciting more growls from the brother below him.

"Give up," Fili said simply, raising his eyebrow. Kili struggled for a few more moments, before ceasing suddenly and just laid there, panting.

"Fine, you win," he muttered, glaring at Fili. The elder smirked, before getting off him and standing up. He held out a hand to his brother, and Kili took it. Fili tugged Kili up, and as he stood Kili let out a hiss, grasping his arm. Fili's eyes went wide, but before he could speak Thorin walked up to the two, glaring sternly at his nephews.

"What in Durin's name were you two thinking?" he growled, "Did you forget your brother was injured?"

"H-he put pinecones under my blanket!" Fili protested, glaring at his younger brother, and sounding rather like a child.

"Did it miss my attention, _dear brother_, that you had every intention of waking me this morning with a boot full of sludge?" Kili retorted, returning Fili's glare with one of his own.

"You should not have slept in," Fili said simply, raising one eyebrow and crossing his arms.

"But—" Kili said, but Thorin held up his hand and cut him off, glaring at the two.

"Silence!" he said sternly, and both lads looked at him, before looking down at the ground. "Kili, see Oin and make sure you haven't opened your wound. And the both of you will take a double watch tonight. You two should not be so careless. You could have alerted enemies to us with your yelling and bickering!" The two looked at the ground, muttering apologies. Thorin went to turn, when a feminine voice stopped him.

"I put the pinecones under Lord Fili's blanket," Cirashala said, and Fili looked at her in disbelief.

"Y-you?" he asked, dumbfounded. "Why?" She glanced fearfully at Thorin, but he just stood there and look at her, crossing his arms and waiting for his answer. She gulped, and stood up.

"Because of this morning," she replied softly. "It was a stupid and disrespectful thing to do, and I apologize. Please forgive me, my lord. I will not do it again." She bowed at Fili, before turning to Thorin.

"It was my fault they got into a fight," she said, eyes averted. "By all rights, you should give the punishment to me." Thorin didn't say anything for a moment as he looked at her. Fili and Kili's eyes widened, and the words came out in a rush.

"Give the punishment to me," Kili said.

"No, I was the one who tackled Kili and began to wrestle. It should be mine," Fili responded.

"But I helped her with the prank," Kili retorted.

"But your cut wouldn't have gotten aggravated if I hadn't chased you," Fili replied.

"Enough!" Thorin growled, turning and looking at the two, who kept glancing back and forth between their uncle and Cirashala. "All _three _of you will take a double watch starting at midnight, and if any pranks are pulled in the night you will repeat the same thing tomorrow."

XXX

His tone held a note of finality, and he trudged back to his bedroll, leaving the three back in the cleared area. Cirashala looked at the ground, biting her lip, before looking at Fili, who was giving her a slightly impressed look.

"I'm really sorry, my lord," she said, "Y-you can use my blanket tonight, and I will get all the sharp pinecone pieces out of your blanket." Fili shook his head at her, before glancing at Kili.

"Just how much _help _from my brother did you have?" he asked. "I could see Kili by the fire for most of the time I was in the bushes, and that was far too many pinecones to have been gathered by camp. I didn't see him picking up pinecones today, and he was with me all day." He looked at her curiously, and she flushed a bit as she lowered her gaze.

"I, um," she said, "I gathered them all day, and put them in my pack. I had just started putting them under the blanket when Lord Kili caught me, and, well….he warned me you were coming back and told me to get back to my bedroll." Fili's eyes widened and his jaw fell open.

"That's it?" he asked, looking at his brother with a look of disbelief. Kili nodded his head.

"I saw you coming back, and just put the blanket back down. The rest was all on her own," he affirmed, and Fili looked back at her with a look of awe.

"I must say, not many people except Kili," here he shot Kili an affectionate glance, "can slip a prank past me so easily. Congratulations, my lady, though I do apologize for the midnight shift. Those are never fun." He bowed to a very surprised Cirashala, before looking back at her with a smirk, his blue eyes twinkling with mischief.

He moved closer to her and leaned in, and she instinctively leaned back. He gave her a slightly surprised look, but whispered with a mock threatening tone, "You know I didn't mean to hit you with the boot, but after tonight, you do realize that you had better keep an eye out."

Her eyes widened, and she had an almost panicked look on her face as she looked between Fili and Kili, stepping back quickly. Kili caught her gaze, and realized that she had completely misinterpreted Fili's statement and tone of voice. He smacked Fili upside the head.

"Ow! What was that for?" Fili asked, rubbing the back of his head.

"You might want to be careful about your words brother," Kili said low enough that Cirashala could not make out his words, before glancing at the frightened girl. "Not everyone can understand your tone." Fili looked at Cirashala, and his expression turned apologetic as he caught sight of her genuinely frightened gaze.

"Cirashala, I didn't mean it like that," he began, but she just drew her arms about her and ducked her head.

"I know, my lord," she whispered. "I-I just don't wish to anger Thorin. Not again." She returned to her bedroll, before sitting with her back against the log behind her, drawing her knees up to herself and laying her head down on them. The two brothers shared a glance, before returning to their bedrolls for the night.


	25. Chapter 25

_**I do not own any of the characters or the Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC) those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reull Tolkien, and without his genius, this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.**_

_**Please review! I love getting them-they keep me encouraged! J**_

Cirashala settled on her bedroll, still feeling a bit guilty about her prank as she saw Fili picking the broken nubs of the pinecones out of his woolen blanket. Kili had offered to help, and still even between the two of them they weren't making a lot of progress. If they had the midnight watch, they needed to get some sleep, and soon.

The rest of the dwarves were asleep, save for Dori and Bifur, who had first watch. She glanced toward Thorin, who appeared to be asleep sitting up against a tree, before getting up and walking lightly toward the two young heirs.

Fili and Kili looked up at her as she stopped in front of them, their hands temporarily stilling in their task. She shuffled a bit from one foot to the other, before gesturing toward the blanket.

"A-are you sure you don't want some help?" she asked softly, her blue eyes moving from the blanket to the two young dwarves' faces. "It will take all night otherwise." The two looked at each other, before looking back up at her.

"You should be getting some sleep while you can," Fili said.

"Midnight watch will not be easy," Kili added. "It is hard to fall asleep after, and we all will be tired enough in the morning." She shook her head.

"It's not like I sleep much these days anyway," she said quietly. "A little less won't make any difference."

The two brothers glanced at each other once more, before Fili nodded and gestured at the space next to Kili.

"Alright," he said. "Sit next to my brother-there's space there. But if you get tired, you should go to sleep." She nodded, and sat cross legged next to the younger of the two. She picked up the edge of the blanket nearest her and began to work.

They sat in silence for a bit, Cirashala so focused on her task that she didn't see the occasional questioning glances of the two brothers directed at her. Fili was the first to break the silence.

"Cirashala?" he asked, and she looked up, hands continuing to work as she felt her way along the thick woven blanket.

"Aye, my lord?" she asked him, and Fili shook his head. She cast him a confused glance, wondering what she had done to make him do that. Fili glanced at Kili, before both pairs of eyes turned toward her.

"If you don't mind our asking—" Fili began.

"Why do you keep calling us Lord?" Kili finished, looking inquisitively at her. She looked at them for a moment, before sighing and looking back at the blanket.

"You're related to the king," she said simply, and both Fili and Kili's eyes widened as they gaped at her, stunned.

"H-how in Durin's name did you know that?" Kili asked after a moment of awkward silence. She shrugged, looking back at the two.

"You both bear a strong resemblance to him," she said. "Kili, your hair and eyebrows are similar, and you also have his glare. Fili, your hair, though a different color, looks similar to his, as does your eyes and your nose. Either you are his sons, or you are his nephews." She of course knew that they were Thorin's nephews, but she couldn't say so outright without them suspecting she knew their story. She went with the safest answer she could think of, knowing that they both did indeed resemble their uncle.

The two young dwarves stared at her for a moment, and she flushed a bit at their scrutiny as her hands sped up their work. She stared intently into the blanket, practically boring a hole through it as she waited for them to speak. To her surprise, the two began chuckling, and she looked up, brows furrowing together.

"You are far smarter than you look, lass," Fili said, grinning. Her jaw dropped, and before she could stop herself, she replied, "A-are you saying I look _stupid_?" Fili looked taken aback, and she gasped. Her eyes widened comically as her hand flew to her mouth, before her face turned a deep crimson.

"M-my lord, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean—" Kili cut her off with a snort, and her eyes darted toward the youngest, who was covering his mouth in a poor attempt to stifle his laughter. His eyes were dancing, and she saw him glance toward his brother, who glared at him in mock indignation.

"My, what a way with words you have, brother," Kili gasped out between breaths. Fili took a sidelong look at him, eyes glinting, before quickly reaching an arm out and shoving him over. Kili landed backwards on the heap of discarded pinecones, and came up cursing with several tangled in his hair.

"Hey!" he cried, attempting to tug the offending pinecones out of his hair. Unfortunately, all the tugging served to tangle them even further, and he began cursing as they pulled on his hair. Fili grinned.

"I might have a way with _words_, brother," he began, voice coated with mirth, "But you sure look quite a sight with your lovely new hair adornments! It can be quite risky to try a new style, especially with a lady present, but I daresay they do look quite_ becoming_ on you."

Kili blushed to the roots of his hair, glaring at his brother as he continued to try unsuccessfully to extract the pinecones. Cirashala's head had shot up, and she stared at Fili as though she could not believe what he had said. Fili chuckled, and Kili glared again at him.

"You _could _always help me, you know," Kili retorted, cursing under his breath as another one refused to give.

"Ah, but it is so much more fun to watch you struggle, brother. Seems a fitting punishment for aiding in my rather _unexpected_ surprise this evening," Fili replied, before continuing on his blanket.

Cirashala hesitated, glancing between her hands and Kili, before turning toward the frustrated and embarrassed dwarf.

"I can help you, if you'd like," she said softly, and both dwarves froze as they stared at her, their chuckles (or in Kili's case, grumbles) ceasing immediately. Kili could feel his cheeks and ears flame, and swallowed hard, looking down at the blanket.

_Wh-what did she say?_ He thought, his heart racing with nervousness. _S-she's not a dwarf, so maybe she-she doesn't know? _

Among dwarves, helping someone with their hair was considered a very intimate act, usually done only amongst family-or those who were betrothed. Very rarely was it done otherwise, unless the person was truly incapable of doing their hair themselves.

"Cirashala?" Fili asked slowly. "Do you know what you are asking?" He looked at her intently. She looked between the two of them, confusion on her face. She saw Kili's hands shaking and his nervousness as he refused to look at her, before she reddened and bit her lip.

"D-did I say something wrong?" she stuttered nervously. "If I did, I am truly sorry, my lord. I-I just offered to help him only because you said you wouldn't. I-it just looks painful. I meant no disrespect, I really didn't. I'm sorry." She made to stand up, but Fili grabbed her wrist gently. His expression softened a bit as he saw the confusion and embarrassment in her face and finally understood.

He sighed, before looking at his brother and back at her.

"Cirashala, I don't know how it is for humans," he said gently. "But among dwarves, hair is very important to us. No one, except family, or…" he trailed off as Kili jumped up, grabbed his bow, and walked over to a rock on the edge of the firelight. He sat down on it with his back to the pair without a word, his shoulders slumped. Cirashala watched him go, and looked back at Fili, realization dawning in her eyes as her cheeks flamed.

"Or…if they are betrothed?" she whispered almost inaudibly, and Fili sighed and nodded slowly. She closed her eyes as she ducked her head, sighing in regret.

"I am so, so sorry," she whispered, stuttering. "I-I didn't know. W-would you please…apologize for me? I-I don't think he would wish to talk to me now...I-I would _never…._I can't possibly deserve….I don't even _want _anyone right now. Not after…" She clutched the blanket tightly in her trembling hands, swallowing hard.

The two sat in silence for a few minutes, and Fili laid his hand on her shoulder. She looked up, but her eyes did not meet his. He could feel how tense she was.

"I will tell him," he said softly so Kili wouldn't hear. "He knows you didn't mean it. He's not angry. He-he just hasn't had the best of luck with courting, and it pains him when it is mentioned. You see, by dwarf standards he's not…well, he just hasn't had much luck with catching a girl's eye, that's all."

She nodded, and looked toward Kili. Fili was surprised as he saw understanding and sympathy in her gaze. He had expected pity, remorse, or even fear, but not understanding. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, before her hands continued to work at the blanket, faster than before.

The two spent the rest of the time in silence, taking about an hour to get all the prickles out, before they retired to their bedrolls to get some sleep before their watch. Kili remained on the rock, and neither could see the tears that threatened to spill down his cheeks.

XXX

Thorin got up for his watch, and was very surprised to see Kili perched atop the rock. He had expected the three of them to try and get as much rest as they could before the least desirable watch of the night, not have one of them stay up.

He approached the wide rock, and he saw Kili raise his sleeve to his face quickly. Thorin sat down on the rock beside him, and glanced over at his youngest nephew, who turned his face away and refused to meet his eye.

Kili was trying desperately to hide it, but Thorin was not stupid. He could see the pinecones tangled in his nephew's dark locks, and he always could tell when Kili had been crying.

"Kili," he said softly. "Look at me." His nephew took a shuddering breath, before turning toward his uncle, still not meeting his eyes. Thorin smirked slightly as he tapped the pinecones in Kili's hair.

"Seems as though you have found a formidable foe," he said, trying to get Kili to smile. "Who won the match?" A smile ghosted across Kili's lips, and he looked at his uncle.

"I was outnumbered," he said, "But they will think twice about attacking the line of Durin again." Thorin chuckled slightly.

"Would you like some help?" he asked, pulling a comb out of his tunic. Kili nodded gratefully, and perched himself in front of Thorin on the ground. Thorin began to gently work the comb around the tangled locks, prying each piece of pinecone out one by one.

"What troubles you, little one?" Thorin asked him, using a childhood pet name. Kili sighed, not sure if he should tell his uncle and risk getting Cirashala in trouble, or making something up. He decided to tell the truth, knowing Thorin would spot a lie, and hoped that there would be no repercussions for the newest member of their company.

"Before I tell you, promise me that no harm will come to Cirashala," he said, and Thorin's hand stilled. Kili gripped the edge of his tunic, waiting for a response. Thorin sighed.

"Kili, you do know that what happened in the marshes was an accident," he said, his tone hoping that his nephew understood it. Kili was quiet for a moment, before he spoke.

"I know," he whispered. "I-I mean, I_ think_ I know, but….after the river...I wasn't so sure. You-you really seem to hate her, and I don't understand why." Thorin sighed heavily, before continuing to comb his nephew's hair.

"I don't hate her, Kili," he said quietly. "She saved your life, and she has helped us, though I still don't know why. What happened at the river-I thought she harmed you. Your gaze said as much." Kili looked down at his lap. He knew his uncle had seen him look at Cirashala as soon as the cut was revealed, and wished desperately that he hadn't done that.

"I don't hate her," Thorin continued, "But I still do not trust her. But, I will not harm her unless she brings harm to our kin. Of that, you have my word." He could feel Kili relax slightly at his words. There was a pause, before Kili spoke.

"Fili and I asked her why she called us lords, and she pointed out that we resemble you, and said we must be either your sons or your nephews," he said, and Thorin's eyes widened. Kili resembling him he could see, but few people were able to recognize Fili as being related to him as well. The golden hair often aided in that misconception.

"Fili said she is smarter than she looks, and she said- though I don't think she meant to- she asked if Fili thought she looked stupid," Kili continued, "I started laughing, we started joking, and Fili knocked me over into the pile of pinecones. They got stuck in my hair, and when Fili refused to help me get them out, she-she offered to help." Thorin froze, the comb halfway through Kili's hair, before he yanked it the rest of the way in anger.

"Ow!" Kili cried, rubbing the back of his head. He turned toward Thorin, and could see the barely contained anger in his uncle's face. His eyes widened.

"U-uncle, it's not what you think," Kili said quickly. "She-she didn't realize what it means, and she apologized more than once after Fili told her. I-I think she was really embarrassed. She said she was only trying to help, because Fili wouldn't." He looked tensely at his uncle, and saw Thorin sigh.

"I knew I shouldn't have let her come," the dwarf king said, his jaw tightening. "If it hadn't been for the blood debt and the elves, I would have made her stay in Rivendell. She is just going to get herself-or one of us- killed."

"Then let us train her," Kili said, turning to face his uncle. "She has some basic knowledge of her weapons, but we could train her to get better at them." His uncle shook his head.

"Time spent teaching her will take away from time honing your own skills," he said. Kili planted his feet and glared at Thorin, and the dwarf king started-it was almost like looking into a mirror when he had been younger.

"If she can learn how to defend herself better, then it would aid us in keeping our blood debt and keeping her safe," he pointed out. Thorin looked back at him, matching his glare.

"You have already saved her life," he reminded him. "You saved her from drowning-your blood debt has been paid." Kili raised his eyebrow.

"But you and Fili owe her a blood debt as well," he said, "She saved me where you couldn't, and you owe her one just as much as I do." He smirked triumphantly, knowing he had won, and Thorin groaned.

How in Durin's name had the lad figured that out? He barely knew of blood debts, since they were so rare, and had only been taught the basics of them and what they entailed. Many times, he thought that Kili was not the most intelligent of dwarves, because he acted before he thought his actions through so many times, and had not paid attention in lessons as well as he could have. But now, he was painfully aware that Kili was far more intelligent than he realized.

"Fine," Thorin growled. "Once Oin deems her wound healed enough, she will begin to train after supper every night. But," and he looked pointedly at Kili, "If I see your skills begin to deteriorate, someone else will take over her training. Understood?" Kili nodded, stifling a deep yawn.

Thorin sighed and placed his hand on Kili's shoulder.

"Get some sleep, lad," he said firmly.

"But, I am supposed to watch with Fili and Cira—" Kili broke off with another yawn, and Thorin shook his head.

"They will take that watch without you," he replied gently. "You have stayed up long enough for one night."

The sleepy dwarf nodded, and went to his bedroll. Thorin heard his steady light snores begin almost immediately. He glanced over his shoulder at his youngest nephew, hair put to rights, and smiled fondly.

_You are growing up to be a fine young dwarf, _he thought to himself. _I wouldn't dare say this to anyone, but I love you two very much, and will not let anyone hurt you. Your mother would kill me if I did, if I did not kill myself first that is. _

The dwarf king turned around, and began to sharpen his sword as he kept a watchful eye on the camp.


	26. Chapter 26

_**I do not own any of the characters or the Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC) those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reull Tolkien, and without his genius, this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.**_

_**Please review! I love getting them-they keep me encouraged! J**_

Cirashala awakened to someone gently shaking her shoulder. She groaned, throwing the blanket over her head. It cannot possibly be morning yet. She was used to waking up tired, but not _this _tired.

"Cirashala?" she heard Fili's muffled voice through the blanket, "It is time for our watch." Stifling another groan, she sighed heavily, before moving the blanket off her head. She sat up with a wince, rubbing her bleary eyes. She looked at a fuzzy Fili, catching the golden hair, and realized that he was alone.

"Where's Kili?" she asked, voice heavy with sleep. Fili glanced over his shoulder, and Cirashala followed his gaze to see the dark haired dwarf sleeping soundly. She looked back at Fili.

"W-would you wake him?" she asked, eyes dropping toward the ground. "I…I am not sure…" she trailed off, hoping that Fili would understand what she was trying to say.

_I still feel too embarrassed to talk to him. _

Fili shook his head, sighing.

"Apparently the idiot stayed up until Thorin's watch, so Thorin told him to go to bed," Fili replied. "It's just us on this watch now." He saw her relax, and watched as relief flooded her face. He didn't blame her. He could well imagine the awkwardness that would be between the two of them after her unexpected request earlier that evening, and was rather relieved himself that he wouldn't be stuck in the middle of it for two hours.

Thorin had awakened him for his watch and informed him that Kili would not be sitting watch with him, and also informing the young heir that he was permitting them to train Cirashala with her weapons. He was surprised but thankful that Thorin had agreed, and admired the way his brother had managed to catch Thorin in a good mood for the request. Kili had gotten himself into enough pranks and mischief over the years to know when was and wasn't a good time to ask his uncle for things.

Cirashala stumbled out of her bedroll, before glancing around camp, seemingly unsure of what to do. She reached behind her and donned her quiver, though Fili noticed that she winced a bit as she reached it over her head. She grabbed her sword and attached the scabbard to her belt, and followed Fili over to the rock where Kili had sat earlier. The two sat down side by side, and Fili drew one of his knives and a whetstone and began to sharpen it as he gazed out to the open plain in front of them.

"My lord?" she asked hesitantly. "What….what exactly am I supposed to do? I have never been on watch before." She bit her lip as she waited for a response.

_Biting her lip must be a nervous habit, _Fili noted. He smiled at her reassuringly, figuring that women among traveling humans most likely did not take watches in lieu of the men either. It was much the same with dwarves as well, if not more so, given that women amongst their people were so rare.

"First off, you may call me Fili," he said quietly, hands not ceasing in their task, "I understand you are trying to be polite and proper, or might be saying it out of fear of offending us otherwise. But, if you call us what you have been, it might draw too much attention to our heritage. If an enemy heard you say it, it could endanger us." Her eyes widened, and she looked down at the ground, cheeks flushing.

"I-I'm sorry," she whispered. "I-is that why none of you refer to Thorin as…." She trailed off, not wanting to use the title King, but Fili understood what she had been about to say, and nodded.

"Aye," he replied lowly so only Cirashala could hear him, "And why we call him by name rather than uncle. He knows that there are some, both friends and enemies, that might recognize him like you did, but as Kili and I were born long after….well, after the events that we are trying to reconcile, not many outside of our people know our relation to him. He told us on this journey to not refer to him as such for that reason. Though I admit I _am_ rather impressed that you figured it out, given how secretive we have tried to be about it. But" he looked at her pointedly, "you must tell no one."

She nodded, and they sat in quiet silence for a while. She alternated between listening and watching the perimeter around camp and Fili's hands moving the whetstone in a circular motion on his blades, before glancing at the dying fire.

"The fire is going out," she said softly to no one in particular. Fili nodded.

"Another part of watch is to make sure to keep the fire lit," he said, "Unless there is a need to hide." She nodded, hearing the instruction in his tone, before getting up. She went over to the woodpile, before selecting a few small sticks and a couple of larger logs. She was very familiar with camp fires, and knew that the small sticks would be needed to burn quickly and get the fire re-started, and the larger logs, once caught fire, would be warmer and burn for longer.

She placed the two logs on the fire, with the sticks and twigs around and on top of them, and crouched down and blew on the coals. The twigs and tinder ignited, and she glanced around the camp. She started, seeing something in the shadows, and slowly added a couple more sticks to the blaze, using the chance to discreetly shield her eyes from the light of the flames. Her eyes widened as she saw a few pairs of eyes glow in the dark shadows outside the firelight, before disappearing quickly.

"Fili!" she whispered loudly. The dwarf looked back at her, and his eyes widened when he saw what she was doing. She wasn't looking at him, reaching for her bow and nocking an arrow, though she did not draw it. His eyes followed hers, and he got up and slowly but steadily moved until he was crouching beside her, his hands ready to grasp the hilt of his twin falchions.

"What do you see?" he whispered, shading his eyes as well from the light of the fire and peering into the shadows.

"There were three sets of eyes glowing in the trees over there," she replied, completely awake and alert now. "They disappeared quickly, but there is definitely something out there." He continued to look, but the eyes did not reappear.

"Are you sure you saw something?" he asked her, "Firelight, moonlight, and shadows can play tricks on the eyes, especially this late." She nodded.

"Yes, I am sure," she said. Fili looked with narrowed eyes around the perimeter of the camp, before standing and unsheathing his swords.

"I am going to look around the edge of camp," he said quietly, utter seriousness in his tone as he looked her straight in the eye. "I should only be gone for a few minutes at the most. Keep an eye out and an arrow at the ready-if you feel confident you can hit a moving target that isn't one of us. If you see anything strange, or if I am not back in ten minutes, wake Thorin. If the camp is attacked, you shout as loud as you can to wake everyone, and stay near Kili-he will aid you." She nodded.

"What if you get into trouble and yell for help?" she said. Fili looked at her, his expression dead serious.

"If I am attacked and shout for help, you wake up the camp immediately," he instructed, his tone reminiscent of Thorin's as she heard it leaving no room for argument. "Tell them which direction my voice came from, but _do not _try to come after me by yourself, do you understand?" She nodded, her hand tightening on her bow.

Fili turned, but before he could even move howls sounded around them. Cirashala's eyes widened as Fili whipped his head around.

"Wolves! Wake up!" he cried, and the dwarves immediately stood up, reaching for their weapons. Before they were fully stood up, Cirashala shouted, drawing her bow quickly as it had already been at the ready.

"Fili! Down!" she cried as loud as she could as she loosed the arrow. The dwarf hit the ground, the fletching of the arrow grazing his hair as a snarling heavy weight fell on top of his back.

XXX

He turned quickly, throwing the wolf off his back. He raised his sword, and his eyes widened as he saw a blue fletched arrow imbedded in the wolf's chest. He saw the wolf twitching and growling trying to get at the arrow and sliced its throat, before jumping up and slicing across another wolf that had run in.

Cirashala had tried to shoot at more of the wolves as they had jumped in the circle of firelight, but quickly found that hitting moving targets was not as easy as she had thought. It had been very lucky that she had hit the one that had jumped Fili from behind. She got another wolf in the side, and one in the hind leg, before she dropped her bow and drew her sword.

Kili had gotten next to her, his bow singing as he took down several more wolves, and she covered his back as Fili had told her to do. A wolf approached her, growling as it coiled to spring. She tightened the grip on her sword, and just as the wolf jumped, she thrust it forward, impaling the wolf's throat.

The impact had knocked her into Kili and knocked them both to the ground, Kili's arrow flying into the undergrowth. He scrambled out from underneath her and continued to shoot as she placed both feet on the wolf's shoulders and tried to pry her sword out of where it had lodged in the now dead animal.

As soon as it had begun, it stopped. Twelve wolves lay dead within the firelight, and the company stood in a circle around Fili, Kili, Bilbo, and Cirashala, panting as fifteen pairs of eyes glanced into the dark woods. They stood there for about ten minutes, not hearing any more howls, before they lowered their weapons.

The company grabbed rags to clean the red blood off their weapons, before sheathing them or setting them aside. Thorin sheathed Orcrist, before approaching his two heirs and Cirashala.

XXX

Cirashala could not for the life of her get her sword to come free of her prey, and Kili knelt beside her without a word, prying her fingers off the sword hilt. He grabbed it, and with a sharp tug and a kick to the wolf, wrenched it free. It slid out of the dead wolf with a sickening squelch, and Cirashala had to swallow several times to keep what little of dinner was left in her stomach.

"Thank you, my lo-Kili," she quickly corrected as Kili handed her the bloody sword. Their fingers brushed a bit, and Kili drew his hand back quickly as soon as she got a grip on the sword hilt, blushing slightly.

"I-I should be thanking you," he said quietly, looking up at her. She bit her lip nervously, looking down.

"A-after what I said?" she stammered, "A-about your…your hair, and embarrassing you with my ignorance? Why would you thank _me_?"

"For saving my brother's life," he said, gesturing toward the wolf with the blue arrow in its chest. She followed his gaze, before ducking her head.

"Lucky shot," she whispered. "I nearly _hit_ your brother. And I didn't kill it-he did."

"Aye, I did," Fili said, approaching them. "But only because you wounded it and kept it from mauling my neck." He pulled a rag out of his pack and sat on his bedroll, wiping the blood from his swords as he looked at Cirashala. "And for that, I thank you as well." He shot her a grateful smile.

"You aren't half bad with your bow," Kili said. "You are better than when I first started." Fili snorted.

"The first day you went to the range, you shot Thorin in the arse," he said chuckling, "I am surprised he let you hold a bow after that!" Kili blushed heavily as he shot him a glare.

"That was one time," he muttered, grumbling, before looking up as the person in question approached the three.

"Fili, good work," he said, and Fili shook his head.

"Thank Cirashala. She spotted the wolves before I did," he said. Thorin turned toward her with a surprised look on his face. She ducked her head, biting her lip again.

"I-I saw their eyes glow when I added wood to the fire," she said quietly. "I didn't shoot at them because I was not sure what they were. I am sorry. I should have shot them and raised the alarm right away."

"No, you did rightly," Thorin said, and her head shot up with an astonished look on her face. Thorin nodded at her and continued.

"It is better to know what the enemy is rather than to shoot blindly," he said, "Otherwise you may end up shooting friends instead of foes and forcing them to lie on their stomach for a week." The dwarf king fixed Kili with a glare and an upturned eyebrow. The blushing young dwarf shuffled uncomfortably in his seat a bit, looking somewhat sheepish. Thorin smirked at his nephew, before ordering those not on watch to return to their bedrolls. He turned back to look over his shoulder.

"Fili, Cirashala, wake the person after you. You have done your share of the watch tonight," he said. "And I hope you have learned your lesson about pranks and wrestling with injured brothers." The two nodded, and returned to their bedrolls, though Cirashala highly doubted she would be able to sleep much after the events of the evening.

At least Dwalin and a few of the other dwarves had moved the wolf carcasses far outside of camp where they would not draw other predators near. The audacity of the wolves to attack such a large group, which was very out of character for them, made the dwarves wary of the meat they offered, fearing that the wolves might be rabid. As such, they turned down meat that normally would have been appreciated under other circumstances.

It was so quiet she almost didn't hear it as she passed Thorin on the way to her bedroll, but she later swore that she had heard Thorin mutter under his breath, "My arse _still _hurts from that blasted arrow wound. At least _she_ has enough sense to tell people to duck when she shoots towards them!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**_In response to guest reviewer Ri-chan- Thank you J I am glad you are liking it- and I hope that I have managed to address your concerns from a few chapters ago-I know my story is a bit of a slow build/slow burn/ etc and it can take a few chapters to have a characterization come out. I feel that Thorin would be a father figure to the two, and when no one else is around, the "king" gives way to the "uncle". He has an image to keep up, after all ;) He is their protector, their guide, their mentor, and their role model (though one can hope their tempers don't quite match up to his! ;P ) and he loves those boys dearly as his own. As for Cirashala, she can be tough, and she has a strength within her, though she does not know it yet. It may not seem that way, but there has only been just over a week since her family, and quite literally her world as she knew it was wiped out. But, as soon as the company encounters an enemy, her fierceness and strength will go to the forefront. She is naturally quiet and reserved (and untrusting), and she does fear Thorin, but it isn't an irrational fear- he has tried to hurt her (though not without cause in his mind), and she knows she mustn't offend those who cannot forgive easily, especially if she wants to stay in the company and "fix" the things she feels she needs to in order to set things right. She is in many ways similar to Bilbo- Gandalf could see his strength beyond his weakness, though he could not see it himself, but the strength he possesses inside comes out when the right "button" is pushed, and he will find that, though he is a simple hobbit, he is far stronger than he could ever know. Tolkien's story was about the ordinary man who became able to do extraordinary things with his inner strength that he did not know he possessed, and I would like my story to reflect that spirit, both with Bilbo and Cirashala as well, while making it realistic (ie she cannot wield weapons she is not trained in, nor is she a kick*** warrior simply because she was not trained as one despite being a technical "sue", but she can pick up new things quickly because she is intelligent and has athletic capability). _**

**_Thanks to all who have reviewed, favorited, and followed- you guys are awesome! J J J_**


	27. Chapter 27

_**I do not own any of the characters or the Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC) those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reull Tolkien, and without his genius, this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.**_

_**Please review! I love getting them-they keep me encouraged! J**_

The next morning dawned with no clouds in the bright blue sky. There was a light breeze, alternating between warm and cold depending on whether the wind was coming from the west or the east.

The tired company had a quick breakfast, before they set out. They left the tree line, and entered the open tundra of the foothills. It was rough going. There were red and golden tussocks of grass along the path, as well as small bushes and thorn bushes here and there. In between the patches of sparse vegetation, there was loose shale atop the rocks.

Cirashala was immensely thankful that there wasn't a lot of up and down just yet. She kept stumbling over the loose shale, before becoming more wary and watching where she stepped. It caused her to run smack into whichever dwarf was in front of her a few times during a pause, but she would rather endure the slight grumbling instead of risking a sprained ankle. She made sure after the first time to only follow the hobbit, since he was the least likely to glare at her for it.

Bilbo understood her predicament quite well. He was not used to such terrain either, preferring the soft dirt and grass and smooth cobblestones of the Shire. He didn't mind that she would occasionally bump into him, though he did stub his toes a few times in the process. Even for his hardy hobbit feet, he could still feel the difference in texture of the slate.

They walked for most of the morning, before they stopped for a midday meal. Ahead of them, the land began to slope upwards, and Cirashala groaned inwardly as she munched on her cram and dried meat. After the first bite (and being reminded of her mother's early attempts at biscuits, which were just as hard, until she had learned to mix the dough properly), she had gotten creative.

She grabbed two pieces of shale and sandwiched the cram between them. Several of the dwarves raised their heads and looked at her in confusion, but she ignored them. She picked up another rock, and smashed it down on the top of her "sandwich" as hard as she could. The cram didn't budge.

Thorin raised his eyebrow at her, barely concealing his amusement, and several of the other dwarves snickered. She glared at them from the corner of her eye as she smashed the rock down again, not paying as close attention to her actions as she should have been.

"OW!" The offending rock fell from her hand. She curled her body over her smashed left thumb, scrunching her lids tightly together in a failed attempt to keep the tears from falling. Her breaths came out in rapid succession, and she felt her face grow warm as several of the dwarves started laughing at her misfortune.

She abruptly stood up and walked away, tears of pain pricking at the corner of her eyelids. She sat down on a rock some distance away from the group, but still in sight. Her back was to them, and she felt completely mortified and stupid.

She glanced down at her bleeding thumb, seeing the nail ripped halfway off as the skin around it was rapidly darkening to a deep purple.

_Great, _she thought to herself. She wrapped the bottom edge of her cloak around it tightly, and glanced upward at the white slopes ahead. _If we had just been a little closer to snow, maybe I could put some ice on it. _

She faintly heard someone approaching behind her, and jumped up and around quickly, drawing her sword with her right as she held her left close to her body. Bilbo jumped and threw up his hands with what could only be described as a whimper. She lowered her sword.

"Bilbo," she said, "Don't sneak up on me like that!" She tried to keep the quiver out of her voice as she sheathed her sword. The hobbit visibly relaxed once the steel blade was out of sight, and looked at her with concern.

"Your hand, is it all right?" he asked, gesturing toward the hand still wrapped within the cloak. She glanced down, grimacing.

"It will be," she said finally, and Bilbo sighed, smiling ruefully at her.

"Can't say I haven't been tempted to try that myself," he admitted. "Though I don't think I would be able to hit it hard enough to even crack it, let alone smash it like you did." He held out his hand, and to her surprise it held the now crumbled biscuit.

"I-it worked?" she asked, eyes wide with disbelief. The hobbit smiled and handed it to her.

"I must say the snickers ceased when I lifted the top rock off of your cram," he said. "The dwarves were just as surprised as I was." She ate the cram swiftly, surprised to see that the inside was at least chewable, if not still bland.

"Thank you, Mr. Baggins," she said between bites. "Would you like some? I don't think I will be trying that again anytime soon though…" she trailed off, and the hobbit laughed.

"If I wish to try it, I will ask Bofur to swing his mattock at it instead of risking my fingers," he chuckled. "Which reminds me, I almost forgot to tell you. The dwarves are continuing on."

"_What_?!" she cried. They turned around, and saw the dwarves already halfway up the incline they had stopped at, Fili and Kili lingering a little slower than the rest in the back.

The two took off running, not caring anymore about stubbed toes or blisters in their haste.

XXX

Fili and Kili had hung back as long as they could, and had gone up the path slowly, both looking back at their burglar and Cirashala.

"Why isn't Bilbo telling her we are leaving?" Kili muttered. Fili shrugged.

"He is probably seeing if she's all right," he replied. "She did hit her hand pretty hard, if the state of the cram is any indication."

"I still can't believe it worked," Kili replied, shaking his head before glancing back. He saw the two of them running towards them, and breathed out a sigh of relief.

_Finally, _he thought to himself. _I know uncle said that they needed to keep up, but I didn't actually think he _meant_ it. _

Now that she had saved his brother, he was doubly indebted to her, as was Fili and Thorin as well. And while he could understand that Thorin did not want a woman along on their dangerous quest, he really couldn't figure out why Thorin had been willing to leave their burglar behind as well. Despite the dwarf king's opinion about the lack of usefulness of a hobbit, Kili was sure that he wasn't so stupid as to not realize that they _needed_ Bilbo.

Gandalf had said repeatedly that the hobbit would be useful, and even had told Thorin at one point that if they didn't bring Bilbo the quest would fail. Kili hadn't quite understood why. He had listened when Gandalf mentioned that the dragon would not be able to recognize the scent of hobbit. So, Bilbo could sneak up on the dragon. But the dragon wasn't blind, or so Kili was led to believe. Surely once Bilbo was in sight, the dragon would kill him, not needing his sense of smell at that point?

He had puzzled about this for the first few weeks of their journey, but finally gave up on understanding the wizard's mind. If Gandalf said that Bilbo was needed, then he was needed. He certainly hadn't steered Kili wrong when it came to Lord Elrond. Why Thorin didn't seem to value Gandalf's advice Kili didn't know. His uncle was never one for taking advice, but the young dwarf would like to think that his uncle wasn't so stubborn as to at least value the advice of a wizard.

He glanced back, seeing that the hobbit and Cirashala were climbing the slope behind them. He gestured toward Fili, and the two of them waited for the remaining members of their company to catch up.

XXX

Cirashala was not above using both her hands and her feet to get up the steep slope. The shale was still loose, and the last thing she wanted to do was roll down to the bottom of the slope and start over. She had pulled a small bandage out of her pack as she ran, and tied it around her still bleeding thumb, resolving to put some ice on it as soon as there was ice to be had.

Bilbo alongside her was using his staff to stab at the ground as he ascended the slope. The pair managed to climb up the slope swiftly, despite Bilbo's stubbed toes and Cirashala's side throbbing with each deep breath. They reached the two young dwarves, gasping for breath.

"You….shouldn't….wait for…us," Cirashala gasped out as Kili pulled her to her feet. "Thorin…"

"Has enough sense to not leave us behind, at least," Fili said, helping the hobbit to the ledge they were standing on. "And we won't leave either of you behind either."

"Aye," Kili added. "You are both part of the company. We need our burglar, and someone who is smart enough to be able to break this blasted cram apart." He made a face, before stuffing the cram in his hand back in his pack. Fili chuckled.

"Might want to watch out for your fingers next time, lass," he said, winking at her good naturedly as Cirashala sighed, averting her eyes. The four began climbing up the rest of the slope, Fili ahead, followed by Bilbo, Cirashala, and finally Kili.

"Don't worry about it lass," Fili continued, smiling reassuringly over his shoulder. "Every single one of us has thought about smashing the dumb things at one point or another, but Dwalin refused to lend us his war hammer for some reason. Mine is too sharp and jagged to work."

"He refused to lend you his war hammer because he didn't want his best weapon used as a mere kitchen tool," Kili chuckled from behind. "Said he couldn't be considered a real dwarf if his main weapon was used for smashing food as opposed to orc skulls."

"Yet Bombur manages to do both with his ladle," Fili retorted, and the two dwarves and Bilbo started laughing heartily, finding the image of Bombur being as hearty of a warrior as Dwalin very amusing indeed. Cirashala shook her head, not quite finding it within her to laugh with her grief still too near.

They reached the top right after, seeing the company stopped about a quarter mile away, looking back at them. The four quickly caught up to the group, and after a glare from Thorin toward the two heirs that promised a lecture later, they continued on.

XXX

"Do you not find that funny?" Kili asked her quietly after they began to move again. Cirashala shook her head.

"I might have once," she replied, a shadow flicking across her face. "But I am afraid I am too old for it now." Kili's eyes grew wide at that statement, and he regarded her with a puzzled expression.

"You do not seem so very old," he said, phrasing his words carefully. He remembered an instance where he saw a dwarf man ask a dwarf woman how old she was, and promptly getting smacked in the face before receiving a lecture on how one should not ask a lady their age if they wished to live to see another day. She looked sidelong at him, raising an eyebrow.

"Are you asking me how old I am?" she asked, and Kili's wide eyes immediately focused on her hand as he stepped a little further away from her.

"N-no, of course not," he stammered. "I-I was just saying….I….nevermind." He flushed slightly, eyes focusing on the rock wall opposite them as they walked.

"It's all right," she said. "I am not technically old, only 26 in human years, but I fear that recent circumstances have made me feel far older than I really am."

"T-twenty six?" he asked, surprised. She looked far younger than that, and then he saw her eyes, and realized what she meant. Her eyes looked far older than such a young person's should, a look in them much like Thorin's had when he thought back on the Battle of Azanulbizar and the Sacking of Erebor, and his mother's after the loss of her husband.

They looked out of place on her youthful face, filled with sorrow and a burden he could not name. They spoke of grief and loss, and he realized how much the loss of her family truly pained her.

"Aye, twenty six," she replied. "I am sure among dwarves that is just a child, but I would guess that I am not much older than you, all things considered." Kili furrowed his brow in concentration, racking his brain. He tried to remember Balin's calculations for comparing the age of dwarves to the age of men. To be honest, he hadn't been the best at arithmetic, and hadn't really paid much attention.

"I think that would be about 65 in dwarf years," she said, startling him out of his thoughts. He looked at her for a moment, before a smirk crossed his features.

"Actually, then you are younger than I am in dwarf years," he said. They walked in silence for a few minutes, Kili glancing at her out of the corner of his eye.

"How in Durin's name did you figure that out so quickly?" he asked curiously. She shrugged.

"I figured out the conversion of dwarf to human ages a while ago," she said honestly. "It is a human's age multiplied by 4.2, then 44 subtracted from that product. The result was 65.2." He stared at her wide eyed, and both turned their heads as they heard Fili chuckling behind them.

"Looks like you should have paid more attention during arithmetic lessons, brother," he smirked. He looked at Cirashala.

"You are technically no older than our friend Gimli," he said. "He wasn't allowed to come because Gloin said he was too young." Kili laughed loudly, as did Bofur and Gloin behind him. Cirashala realized during the course of their walk the two brothers had cleverly managed to steer Bilbo and her back toward the center of the group.

_I really need to pay more attention, _she thought to herself. _I don't want to get myself killed._

"Aye, and was he furious!" Bofur said, chuckling. "The lad kept ranting for days to anyone who would listen! I nearly had to throw him out of my shop because the other customers were frightened away at his glares!"

"Aye, I nearly had to chain the lad to his bed to keep him from following us," Gloin chuckled, eyeing her curiously.

"You're only as old as my Gimli?" he asked, shaking his head in astonishment. She heard him mutter under his breath, "Best not be telling the lad that Thorin let a girl come along on this quest that was his age, or the lad will never forgive me."

"I am sure that he will have his moment to shine someday," she said, being very careful of her words to avoid offending the temperamental dwarf. She of course knew that the rash young dwarf would have his moment as part of the Fellowship of the Ring eighty years from now, but she could not tell the older dwarf that.

"I tried telling him that, but the lad wouldn't listen," Gloin responded, "Stubborn as an ox, that one." He suddenly seemed to remember who he was talking to, and huffed before continuing on their path. She heard him mutter something in Khuzdul under his breath as he passed her.

"D-did I offend him?" she whispered to Fili, and he shook his head.

"I think he was more embarrassed realizing that he was actually having a conversation with someone who wasn't a dwarf," he said, looking at Gloin's shrinking back as the older dwarf moved ahead in the company's line. "Not all of us are as trusting of humans as my brother and I. Thorin would call us naïve and say we know nothing of the world."

"Perhaps you shouldn't talk to me," she said quietly. "I do not wish to sow seeds of distrust among you and your kinsmen." Fili and Kili both shook their heads.

"You have saved both of our lives and sacrificed much for our quest," Fili declared firmly. "You have done nothing to earn animosity from us." Cirashala bit her lip, looking at the company ahead of them.

"Not all of you feel that way," she replied. "I earn animosity simply because of what I am, not what I have or haven't done. Is it not true that my words of loyalty fell on deaf ears and the only reason Thorin allowed me to come was because of this 'blood debt' I keep hearing about?" She looked between the two of them, awaiting their answer. Fili and Kili glanced uneasily at each other. Their silence confirmed her suspicions.

"I thought so," she said softly, before moving ahead of them. She kept her head low, watching her feet as well as the person in front of her, and not wanting to meet anyone's eyes and reveal the hurt she felt.

_It won't matter what I do or don't do, _she thought to herself. _They will be prejudiced against me regardless. It's just a matter of not whether they hate me, but how much they do. And it is only a matter of time before Fili and Kili both begin to follow in their footsteps, choosing their kinsmen over their "naïve" friendships. It's no different than anyone else I have ever encountered, both at home and in Middle-earth. I will never be good enough for anyone. I never have been, and I never will be._

Despite being surrounded by 14 people, she suddenly felt very, very alone.


	28. Chapter 28

_**I do not own any of the characters or the Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC) those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reull Tolkien, and without his genius, this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.**_

_**Please review! I love getting them-they keep me encouraged! J**_

They continued to climb upwards, Cirashala feeling the slight incline the entire time. Her blisters, which had been forgotten earlier, again made their presence known, and her calves and legs began to become sore as well. She sincerely wished she had taken the chance to make more pain tea on their break.

_Oh, well, _she thought to herself. _I will just have to make some in camp tonight._

They passed under a pretty waterfall, having to take care to not slip on the wet moss-covered rocks. They filled their water skins, before again ascending upwards. There were a few more times where she had been forced to climb using both her hands and her feet, and felt rather like a mountain goat. In fact, she sometimes wondered if the path had been originally for them.

It reminded her of the weekend drives she and her family had taken into the Rocky Mountains when she was an early teen. She and her sisters had clamored all over the rocks with little or no fear, scaring her acraphobic mother half to death as she shakily snapped a picture of the three of them among the large rocks on the edge of a 1,000 foot drop, before demanding in no uncertain terms that they _get their butts back here before she killed them_. If her mother saw what lay ahead, she would nigh on have a heart attack, Cirashala was sure of it.

They reached the top of a slope, before moving downwards and around the top of a large gully. The path strayed near the edge, and Cirashala glanced down, noting the steep drop. She did not fear heights at all, but she did bear a healthy respect for them. She could walk along pathways with steep drops alongside, however she wouldn't be so foolish as to, say, walk to the edge of a skyscraper or climb to the top of the Golden Gate bridge.

She could see a massive glacier ahead of them, with a river comprised of undoubtedly the runoff from it running down between the tundra and the glacier, ending in another waterfall. A breeze blew down from the direction of the glacier, and she shivered through the thin fabric of her tunic.

_Apparently the clothing Lord Elrond gave me was meant for the warm spring and summer of the flatlands and not the snow covered mountains, _she thought to herself. _I sure hope it will be warm enough when we get up into the snow and glaciers._

As much as she looked forward to putting some ice on her very much throbbing thumb, she was most definitely not planning on giving herself frostbite in the process.

XXX

They continued on, finding a natural rock bridge that led across the icy river, where the path continued up along the edge of the glacier. Though there was a bit of ice on it, they managed to cross it without any incident. Cirashala inched across it slowly, stepping flat.

_These elvish boots were clearly not meant for walking on ice, _she thought to herself. _Not nearly enough traction. _

The path went up a steep slope through a crevasse in the rock on the other side of the bridge. The high walls of rock on either side went up about thirty feet, the distance decreasing as they wound further up it.

Several times Bombur got stuck, and it took Bofur pulling and Bifur shoving to get him through. The rotund dwarf kept grumbling each time that the space was so tight, but was assured that there was no other way to get around it, and told to stop complaining.

They had to be very careful with their steps, for there were patches of wet ice all along the crudely cut stone steps. The snow was hanging over the top edge of the crevasse, descending in long, thick icicles hanging down along the sides. They could all hear water trickling down underneath them, and several members of the company slipped as they discovered patches of black ice.

The company was pretty quiet, except for the occasional curse as one would slip. Cirashala looked at the bits of sunlight reflecting off the long towers of ice, and thought it would make a beautiful picture, had it not been so cold. She shivered, pulling her cloak around her. She had not escaped the occasional drop of icy water, and now had several very cold and wet patches along her cloak.

_Definitely a summer cloak, _she thought to herself. _I know elves don't feel cold like humans do, but I practically feel like I am wearing little more than a thin blanket. A rather _wet_ thin blanket._

She fisted her hands into it for a few minutes, but was resigned to allowing her fingers to chill once she realized that she needed her hands to brace herself when she slipped. Much to her dismay, she had discovered that her boots weren't quite made for walking on ice either, because their traction certainly left a great deal to be desired.

At least she had decent leather gloves. While they weren't the best in the cold (chiefly due to all but her three archer's fingers having exposed fingertips), they were at least better than nothing, and aided her grip when it came to grabbing the slippery icicles that hung all the way to the ground. She had been going up the steps sideways so she could grab the secure icicles for support.

She heard a loud shout, and looked up just as Fili's back collided with her, sending her straight into Kili, who fell back into Ori and Dori. They all landed in a heap on the bottom of that section of stairwell, with Bofur and Bombur on top of Fili. Several loud curses emanated from the tangle of limbs and packs.

Cirashala was smashed sideways into Kili, and could barely breathe for the sheer amount of _weight _atop her. Additionally, the handle of Fili's warhammer was pressing into her hip, and she was more than positive it was going to bruise badly come morning. She couldn't see hardly anything because of the dark hair that was in her face.

Kili had Fili's blanket smashing in his face, and could barely breathe. He cried out his brother's name, his voice muffled by the blanket that held the spade. He tried to lift up his arms to push Fili off of him, when he felt his left arm pinned down by a cold and wet weight.

He managed to push his brother up just enough that he could turn his face toward the left, and gasped as he looked right into a pair of startled blue eyes less than two inches from his face.

XXX

Kili froze, nearly forgetting to breathe in his startled state. Their noses were nearly brushing, and he closed his eyes quickly, trying to slow down his rapidly beating heart.

"S-sorry," he gasped, feeling his cheeks grow warm. He immediately tried to turn his head back, but Fili had shifted slightly and now his blanket was in the way. He had at least managed to turn his head at little, leaving her nose brushing his cheek.

_Why am I feeling so nervous?_ He thought to himself. _It's not like this whole mess was on purpose. _

He had never been so close to a girl's face, dwarf or otherwise, let alone kissed a girl. Fili had been very much correct about his lack of success with courting. In fact, he hadn't had any success whatsoever. And now, because of Bombur's clumsiness, he had very nearly done so completely by accident. He did not doubt that she would slap him if he did, even if it was an accident, and he would not blame her in the slightest.

Several times since they had left Rivendell, he had almost forgotten that she was a girl. It had made it a bit easier for her to talk to, and the tunic and trousers instead of a dress had aided him in that regard.

But after the incident with the pinecones, he had become painfully aware that she was indeed a female, and the shyness he had acquired around those of the opposite gender had been coming back. Now it hit him full force as he could feel her warm breath on his neck, and hear her whimpers.

_Whimpers? _

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, and saw her face scrunched up in pain. Bombur had managed to get himself up, only to slip again as Bofur was halfway up, procuring more curses above and beneath them. Bombur and Bofur had hit the pile hard the second time, and she cried out, her cries muffled to all but Kili, whose ear was unfortunately near her mouth. He winced as the sharp cry seemingly reverberated through his skull.

"Cirashala?" he whispered, concern overriding his self doubts as he realized just how heavy the three dwarves atop her were compared to her slight frame. "What hurts?"

Her breath came out in pants, and for a few moments she couldn't answer. Finally she gasped out, "F—Fi…war….h….mr…w…warg…b…te…." His eyes widened.

"Fili war hammer warg bite?" he asked slowly, and felt her nod against him.

"Press…in….han…dle," she gasped, followed by a muffled cry as the group above her shifted. Kili cursed under his breath.

"Fili! Get off of her!" he shouted, pushing up as hard as he could.

"Don't you think I am trying?!" his brother yelled back. "Tell Bofur to get off me!"

"Everyone, get up!" Thorin's voice boomed above the curses. "For Mahal's sake, it's just a little ice!"

The three dwarves on top were finally able to get up once Bombur regained his footing. As soon as Fili jumped up, Kili grabbed onto Cirashala and rolled aside so Dori and Ori could regain their footing. She kept breathing out strangled breaths, and was curled in on herself as her arms wrapped tightly around her middle.

Fili knelt beside his brother and Cirashala, placing a hand on her arm. Kili glared at Bombur, and the ginger haired dwarf looked at Cirashala with concern and guilt, his stance speaking of the shame he felt.

"Bombur, curse your infernal clumsiness!" Kili growled. "You pushed Fili's warhammer straight into her wound!" Fili's eyes widened as he realized the reason for his brother's insistence that he move, and his face fell as he looked at her's.

"Cirashala, I am so sorry," he apologized. "Are you all right?" Cirashala nodded.

"I-I'm fine," she gasped, before looking Bombur's way. "It wasn't his fault. It's just slippery. It happens." She made a move to get up, grimacing. Fili and Kili supported her weight, and Bofur stepped forward to help them as well.

"Cirashala, I am sorry," Bombur said quickly. "Really, I am." He reached a hand out, but fierce glares from Fili and Kili caused him to withdraw his hand as though it had been bitten. They managed to get her to her feet, and she straightened up, making the attempt to pull away from them as she panted through her nose. To her frustration, the two brothers didn't loosen their grips.

"Let me go," she said. "I-I can walk."

"You can barely sta—" Fili began, but she cut him off.

"I am not just some human weakling!" she said firmly, though her voice wavered. The two heir's eyes widened considerably in shock.

"B-but, we didn't say—" Kili started, but again she interrupted, though it was quieter than before.

"Please, let me go. I can walk on my own," she pleaded. "Please." Dark eyes met greenish blue, and the two brothers sighed heavily as they reluctantly let her go.

She straightened up as much as she could, before stepping carefully past Bombur and Bofur and continuing up the stairs. She didn't say a word, nor did she meet anyone's eyes.

XXX

They exited the stairway and marched on until the sun approached the western horizon. Once they had reached the snow at the top of the stair, their pace had slowed considerably as they were forced to start clearing the trail as they walked.

Cirashala kept her arms around her middle as she wrapped her cloak around herself. She didn't speak a word to anyone as she trudged on, putting one tired foot in front of the other, shivering despite every attempt not to. Her side burned with pain, but she gritted her teeth and fought the nausea with every bone in her body.

_I am not weak, _she kept thinking to herself. _I will not let them see my pain. I cannot. I must be as strong and stubborn and hardy as they are._

She was thankful that the dwarves were pretty busy with clearing the snow ahead as they walked, for that meant little conversation. Conversation she knew she would be excluded from-just because she was a human.

XXX

Kili looked at her back as they walked, extremely confused. He racked his brain, and he could not at any point remember saying _anything _that implied he thought her weak, and from what he knew, Fili hadn't either.

From what little he knew of her, she had been quiet but very helpful and respectful. He didn't understand why she seemed so angry. His mind went back to that awkward moment in the pileup.

_I-is she angry with me for what happened when I turned my head? _ He thought to himself. He began to feel very guilty about it, feeling that her shift in demeanor had been entirely his fault. He hadn't thought that he had taken advantage of her awkward position in any way, but maybe she had taken it that way. Or maybe he had done so, and he just didn't realize it.

Once they made camp, he resolved to find a way to apologize to her without Thorin or any of the other dwarves finding out about it. He really did not want to find out what would happen if Thorin realized his nephew had accidentally nearly kissed a human, and a widowed one at that.

XXX

The sun began to wane, and the dwarves took shelter near a rocky outcropping that protruded out of the snow. The wind had begun to pick up, and they quickly got the fire lit from a faggot of wood that they had brought up into the peaks with them.

They had to build the fire atop a small flat pile of rocks so that the melting snow would not douse the flames, and Bombur quietly made supper. There were a few snide remarks here and there about the earlier happenings, and the dwarf ducked his head in shame.

It really hadn't been his fault he was so clumsy. It was his weight, which he had struggled with as a child. He couldn't understand why Bofur, his brother, could out-eat him and _still _manage to be normal sized for a dwarf, and yet he eat half and end up swelling up like those round paper lanterns the hobbits have. His mother had been an absolutely amazing cook, earning fame all over the Blue Mountains for her recipes that were featured at festivals. And she had taught her two sons and several daughters everything she knew. Why did food have to taste so good?

Dori popped of a subtle yet very clear insult, and Bombur felt tears prick at the corner of his eyes. He swallowed it, and looked up as two slender booted feet entered his vision.

"Would you like some help?" Cirashala asked softly, setting a pot full of clean snow to melt next to the fire. She winced a bit as she crouched down next to the cook. She gestured toward the board he was cutting the meat on, and he looked down, surprised to see irregular cuts in the meat. He was usually more careful.

"W-why, lass?" he sputtered. "I about crushed ye this afternoon." She shrugged, earning another wince.

"What's done is done," she said simply. "There is no need for apology." His eyes widened, and he caught the stares of the others watching as well, realizing that the low taunts had ceased. The company watched her with curiosity and several with a bit of guilt as she began cutting up the meat easily, mindful of her wrapped thumb. The astonished cook gaped at her for a few minutes, unable to believe she wasn't angry, given that she was the only one injured earlier, if one didn't count minor bumps, bruises, and hurt pride.

"Is there anything else you want to put in the stew?" she asked softly, causing the ginger haired dwarf to blink. He reached into his bag, sticking a few potatoes and carrots and some seasoning down on the snow next to him. The other items were quickly added to the now boiling meat, and she handed the cooking knife hilt first to Bombur. The large dwarf smiled at her.

"Thank ye, milady," he said, nodding his head. She stood up, grasping her side with a hiss of pain.

"You're welcome, but I am not a lady. I have no title, and there's no need to call me as such," she said quietly. She returned to her bedroll, a bit away from the group, and slowly lowered herself on it with a grimace.

If she hadn't noticed that Bombur had given her an extra full bowl that evening, well, she never said anything, and the round dwarf wasn't too worried about it.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**_WOOOOO! We have reached over 100,000 words last chapter! :D_**

**_A response to guest reviewer Ri-chan- I will try to answer your question as best as I can, but I will admit I didn't quite understand what you meant by hope die last? Do you mean that the company will eventually accept her? Eventually, but as the dwarves are generally very distrustful of other races, coupled with their experiences post Erebor, naturally they will take a lot longer to open up to her. Fili and Kili are young and naïve, and have not had the time and experience that the older dwarves had that had resulted in their prejudice. In the book, Balin is the only one after the quest that visits Bilbo in Bag End, and from the movie characterization Bofur, though not necessarily trusting, is more outgoing and friendly. So it would make sense that the only dwarves to warm up to her at this point are Fili, Kili, Balin, Bofur, and also Bilbo as well. _**

**_Oh, and just to reassure my readers- the term "faggot" in this chapter's context is in NO WAY a popular insult of the same word, but rather a term used to describe a "bundle" of sticks and twigs as a measurement. I apologize for any confusion resulting from any misperceptions of it! :)_**

**_Thanks for reviewing, favoriting, and following! I appreciate the encouragement! :D_**


	29. Chapter 29

_**I do not own any of the characters or the Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC) those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reull Tolkien, and without his genius, this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.**_

_**Please review! I love getting them-they keep me encouraged! J**_

Cirashala held the warm bowl to her, shivering. She wished she could scoot closer to the fire, but she felt that her presence wouldn't be welcome.

She had heard the insults that had been thrown at the toymaker as he prepared dinner, and could see that he had felt very bad about what had happened earlier. She had offered to help, not knowing if her offer would be accepted or not, but wanted to show the others that there were no ill feelings towards him from her in hopes that the insults would cease.

As she sat there nibbling her stew, having already drunk the pain tea, Oin approached her.

"How's your wound, lass?" he asked her. She shrugged, trying unsuccessfully to hide the tell tale wince.

"It's fine," she said nonchalantly, loud enough for the deaf dwarf to hear her.

Oin, however, was not fooled. He had been healing stubborn dwarves for many long years, and was more than capable of being able to tell when a patient was lying or downplaying an injury. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Really? You won't mind if I take a look then," he said, setting down his bag. It was not a question, and she knew it. She glanced at the group around the fire, and some of them, particularly Thorin, Dwalin, Gloin, Dori, and Nori were watching the two and not looking very happy with the prospect of being kicked away from the fire.

She turned around, facing away from the fire and splaying her cloak out as much as she could behind her to help shield her from view. She reached down, and unfastened her belt, tugging the edge of the tunic up to reveal the bandage.

"I will be needing more light than this," Oin looked at her. She sighed.

"They do not need to leave the warmth of the fire," she said. "What about a lantern?" Oin sighed in frustration.

"You really should be nearer the fire as is. It is too cold for a human out here. Even they are cold, and you are not as hardy as a dwarf, lass," Oin looked at her pointedly, and she scowled and looked away.

"I am as tough as any of you," she said quietly, and the healer took a deep breath.

"I may be partly deaf, lass," he said, "But there are certain things that I can still hear." She blushed in embarrassment, and looked up at the healer. Oin saw a brief flicker of sadness and hurt, before the mask went back up. He looked over his shoulder.

"Balin! Fetch me a lantern, will you?" he called, before looking back at her pointedly.

"Don't want you complaining in the morning if you near freeze your fingers and toes off tonight," he said, and she nodded. She shivered violently as the wind began to blow again, and Balin sighed as he set the lantern down.

"Lass, why aren't you near the fire?" the older dwarf asked gently. Oin muttered something in Khuzdul under his breath about stubborn females and toughness, and Balin looked back at her, eyes wide.

"What in Durin's name are you trying to prove, child? That you can get yourself killed more quickly than any of us?" he asked. "Surely you are smarter than that!" She sighed and looked down and off to the side, not meeting the old dwarf's gaze. Balin sighed heavily, and reached for her blanket, draping it over her shoulders as he sat behind Oin to provide what cover and assistance he could.

She kept shivering throughout the whole procedure, and Oin was pleased to note that, despite the pressure of the warhammer handle on her wound, no stitches had been broken. She would have additional bruising, but she would be fine. He rebandaged the wound, before packing up his bag and heading back to the fire.

XXX

Balin lingered behind. He was a wise and observant dwarf, and had seen the change in her personality after the conversation with the two heirs and Gloin earlier.

"What is this really about, lassie?" he asked gently as she wrapped both her cloak and her blanket around herself, still shivering. It wasn't the words he said, it was the way he said it. The dwarf's expression showed that he really cared about her troubles, and she blinked back tears.

"You all hate me," she whispered, and Balin's eyes went wide.

"What?" he asked, looking confused. "Who told you that?"

"Why am I here, Mr. Balin?" she asked point blank. "Why did Thorin let me come?" The old dwarf sighed, but before he could answer her she continued.

"It is because of a blood debt," she said. "That's the only reason. My words of loyalty fell on deaf ears, and everything I have done has been to help you all. And yet, you all hate me-simply because I am a human." A tear trickled down her cheek, and she swiped at it quickly.

"No one hates you," Balin said gently. "They-they just have a hard time trusting humans, is all. We have been through quite a lot since Erebor fell, and there are many humans that have shown themselves to be untrustworthy in our time as wanderers. As far as the blood debt, that wasn't the only reason. Your words did not fall on deaf ears, though you may believe it. Unless of course, you were speaking to Oin the whole time, in which case, they may well have." He winked at her, chuckling slightly at her raised eyebrows. She looked down at her lap for a moment.

"Why must I be judged for a crime I didn't commit against your people?" she whispered. "I am very sorry humans have treated you so awfully, though I do not understand why. The measure of a person lies in not what they are but who they are. I have done nothing against dwarves that I know of, so why should I be treated as though I did?" She looked pointedly at Balin.

_She has wisdom far beyond her years, _Balin thought. _Whether or not she sees it within herself is another question. _

"Judging the measure of a person without one's own preconceived ideas of them is a difficult thing to learn," he said. "I am afraid that many dwarrows have yet to learn such a lesson. Even I, an old dwarf, sometimes need to be reminded of such things." He smiled warmly at her, before looking over his shoulder at the fire.

"And a lesson that young ones have to learn is the difference between proving themselves and just acting foolish," he said pointedly, raising an eyebrow. Cirashala hung her head, sighing.

"There isn't enough room," she said quietly, and Balin chuckled.

"Perhaps if you sleep like a whirlwind there isn't," he said, a twinkle in his eye. "But I can say for certain that there are two very confused young dwarf lads who do not understand why their friend has suddenly stopped speaking to them or accepting their freely given aid, and have no idea why you would think they believe you to be weak. I think they would be more than willing to make room for you. And I daresay, you would be much warmer between them. I don't know if you have noticed, but everyone is huddled rather closely tonight for warmth." She gaped at him, blushing furiously.

"Y-you want me to _cuddle _with Thorin's nephews?!" She fairly squeaked. "Have you gone daft? Thorin would kill me!" Balin chuckled loudly at the completely shocked and dumbfounded look on her face.

"Now, lassie, I never said cuddle with them!" he said, still chuckling. "I think the two of them would die of absolute mortification if you were to go over there and said I told you to do that! They would blush so brightly their faces would be seen for miles!"

She sighed a huge sigh of relief, and Balin shook his head.

"No, lassie. They would be more than willing to keep you warm and sheltered from the wind," he said, his tone more serious than before. "And with that light, flimsy elvish clothing, I think if you wish to live through the night you will need to sleep next to someone and the fire, otherwise you will likely freeze to death. It may be spring in the valleys, but up here on top of the Misty Mountains, winter never ceases, and the wind will be very cold tonight."

She nodded, and he squeezed her shoulder gently before standing up. He held out his hand and helped her stand, then grabbed her pack and handed it to her.

"Thank you, Mr. Balin," she whispered. He winked at her and smiled warmly, before the pair headed back to the warmth of the fire.

XXX

They approached the fire, and Balin went and knelt behind the two young dwarves, whispering to them quickly. Fili and Kili nodded, and scooted apart, leaving enough room between them for Cirashala to sit. Balin smiled at her and motioned her over. She nodded her thanks to the older dwarf as she stepped between them.

She set her pack down behind her to use as a makeshift pillow and sat shoulder to shoulder with the pair, who immediately lifted the edge of their own blankets over her shoulders, resting their arms on her back. They used their free hands to pull the blankets further around the front as well, wrapping the trio completely save for their faces and boots, which faced the fire. Both brothers could feel her tense, and the cold from her body seeped through their many layers of clothing.

"Thank you," she whispered, teeth chattering. "I-I'm sorry about earlier. I shouldn't have snapped at you both after the incident this afternoon." Fili sighed.

"There is no apology needed," he said reassuringly, smiling at her as he repeated her words to Bombur earlier. "You are as cold as ice!" Kili nodded in agreement, not quite willing to meet her eyes yet.

_How am I going to apologize to her now? _He thought. _Fili at least is likely to hear it. I may just have to wait until he goes to sleep then. _

The stews were finished, and most of the dwarves had their pipes out. A few people, like Bilbo, were already asleep.

"When do I have watch?" Cirashala asked as Fili yawned, knocking out his pipe on the rocks at the edge of the campfire.

"We had watch last night, so we won't have it tonight," he said as Kili knocked his out as well. Fili looked at the other two.

"You two lie down, and I will cover our feet before I lie down," he said, and they nodded. Cirashala laid on her right side so as to keep the pressure of her wound, and Kili had lain on his left facing away from her. Fili made sure that their three large blankets covered all three of them as he lay down, also facing away from her. Cirashala wondered for a few moments how the bottom blanket was going to avoid getting wet, until she realized that the soft fur had leather on the bottom.

_The leather on the bottom must be waterproofed somehow, _she thought to herself as she slowly drifted off to sleep, finally getting warm between the layers of blankets and the body heat of the two young dwarves.

XXX

Kili laid awake for a bit until he saw everyone except Bofur sleeping. The cheerful dwarf had watch, and was sitting opposite the campfire. He turned around slowly, taking care to not shift the blankets too much and let out the warmth.

"Cirashala?" he whispered, tapping her arm lightly. She turned over, looking at Kili sleepily.

"Hmm?" she muttered, blinking rapidly to try and clear the blurriness from her eyes. "Kili?"

The young dwarf took a deep breath, not sure how to broach the delicate subject. It didn't help matters that she shifted to a more comfortable position so she was facing him instead of craning her neck around to see him.

"U-um," he said, swallowing. "A-about earlier….when we were pinned under the others…." He trailed off, his cheeks warm with embarrassment as he looked intently at the fur by his face. "I-I am sorry. I-it was an accident, I swear. I-I didn't mean anything by-by it."

"What on earth are you talking about?" she said, sounding a little like she had cotton in her mouth. Confusion clouded her features. "It wasn't your fault we fell and Fili's hammer pushed on my wound. It wasn't your fault at all." Kili looked at her in slight surprise.

"N-no, that wasn't what I-I was talking about," he stammered, face reddening further. Her brow furrowed in thought.

"Then what _are_ you talking about?" she asked. He looked at her face, seeing genuine bewilderment in her gaze.

"N-nothing, it was nothing," he said quickly, not meeting her gaze. He turned over, relieved when her steady breaths started again a few minutes later.

_Thank goodness, she didn't notice, _he thought to himself. He was relieved, though still a bit puzzled by why she had refused their help. However, she was accepting it now, and for that he was grateful. She really would have been far too cold out there away from the fire, and with those thin elvish clothes.

_Perhaps there is a warmer tunic in my pack that might work for her, _he thought to himself as he drifted off to sleep.


	30. Chapter 30

_**I do not own any of the characters or the Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC) those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reull Tolkien, and without his genius, this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.**_

_**Please review! I love getting them-they keep me encouraged! J**_

The morning dawned cold and cloudy. Balin was on watch last, and as usual Thorin was the first to wake. The dwarf king stumbled out of his bed, stretching, before going off to take care of his morning business.

He returned to the fire as the morning sun was just beginning to peak over the eastern horizon. Balin nodded at him as he approached the fire, where the older dwarf was beginning to boil some water for breakfast. The older dwarf gestured toward the three young ones sharing the blankets, smiling fondly.

Fili had turned over so he was lying flat on his back and facing Cirashala's direction, wild blonde hair half on his face as his arm was slung above her head, hand resting on his brother's head. Kili had turned on his side toward Cirashala, having scooted unconsciously right up against her in the night and slung his arm protectively about her shoulders, hand fisted into the side of Fili's tunic on the other side of her. His face was nuzzled in her hair, and he looked much like he did when he and Fili slept next to each other every night, the lack of a thick beard causing the young dwarf's face to get cold in the frigid air.

Cirashala had taken her side braids out the night before right after she laid down, keeping in the two that held her long bangs, because she knew that her head and neck would appreciate the added warmth. The two thin braids framed the side of her face, one slightly over it, ending about halfway down her hair. The light auburn curls bunched a bit around her head, which was facing toward Fili as she had nuzzled her nose into it, likely also for warmth. She had also ended up scooting down just a little, so her head was slightly lower than Fili's, and she was curled up right next to the elder dwarf's side with her hands curled up within the blanket next to her face. The lines of worry and concern had dissipated from her face, and for the first time since they had found her, she looked calm and at peace.

They were all completely out, and the scene looked so peaceful it was hard to believe that they were on a dangerous quest at all. The three looked so young and unsullied by the pressures of the world, and Thorin felt his throat tighten a slight bit and tears prick at the corners of his eyes. With exception to hair color (and Dis having the childhood wisps of a beard along her jaw line that all dwarves possessed regardless of gender) the scene reminded him of his time as a child back in Erebor with his younger brother and sister.

_Thorin awoke with a loud groan to the sound of thunder booming and the flashes of light emanating through his thick curtains. _

_Another thunderstorm, he thought. That means company…._

_No sooner had that thought crossed his mind that the door to his bedchamber flew open, and his two younger siblings fairly flew onto his bed. He instinctively covered certain body parts, knowing that in their fear (and from many prior experiences) Frerin and Dis would not pay attention to where their sharp little limbs landed, and he would be left groaning and curled in on himself if he didn't protect those particular "valuables". He thanked Durin and Mahal both that he had been awake BEFORE they came rushing in. _

_Dis crawled into his bed as Thorin scooted closer to the wall on the other side, and Frerin climbed in after her. Thorin had learned a long time ago that he would be luckier and spare himself certain agony if he just simply got out of the way. And Dis preferred curling up between her two big brothers than having one side "unprotected". _

_She cuddled into Thorin's chest, wrapping an arm around his middle. _

_"Thowin, I's scawed," she cried, burying her head in the crook of his arm. He looked over his head at his younger brother. _

_"Are you scared too, brave Frerin?" he asked mockingly, knowing his younger brother despised appearing to be afraid of "baby" things. _

_"No!" he spat, a bit too quickly. "I just came in here because she was," he gestured toward Dis, "and she didn't want to run down the hall herself." Dis stuck her tongue at him, glaring with every bit of the Durin temper. His explanation was immediately voided, however, as another loud crash echoed through the chamber, and he yelped and dove under the covers, huddling closer to Dis (and by extension, Thorin). _

_The oldest of the three siblings rolled his eyes, sighing. He reached over Dis's head and laid his hand on Frerin's, and could feel his younger brother trembling. Frerin wrapped his arm around his little sister in an attempt to be brave, at least for her, and reached across her to fist his hand in Thorin's tunic. _

_Thrain found them the next morning, and just shook his head as he watched the mess of tangled limbs wake up grumpily and left as soon as the squeals and shouts started, because at some point in the night, all three of his children's braids and clasps had become hopelessly tangled with each other, and that morning it took their mother a full hour just to get the three annoyed and bored siblings separated from each other lest they be forced to walk like conjoined triplets all day. _

_That morning had been the day that the dragon came, and their mother had been killed before she could flee the mountain. That night, and many nights thereafter, the three siblings had fallen asleep in each other's arms, fearing that if they did not, they would never see each other again. Though, they were smart enough to remove all their braids and clasps first. And if Thorin occasionally got hit in the groin, well, he let it go (after a few minutes of groaning and cursing inwardly though)._

"They seem like children again, don't they?" Balin said softly. Thorin nodded.

"They are children," he whispered, and Balin shook his head.

"No, they are adults. Young adults, but adults nevertheless," Balin replied. "And they are learning to make their own decisions now." He looked at Thorin.

"I do not know who she is or where she came from, but she is not like the humans we have encountered before," he said. "If I didn't know any better, I would think she is a dwarf, if it not were for her willingness to aid others regardless of their race." He looked at Thorin pointedly.

"Not many can teach me a lesson I don't already know," he said, "She may appear weak, but she is far stronger than you realize. She judges based upon the heart, not the appearance, and sees the true worth of someone unsullied by the sins of their race. It is a lesson you ought to learn as well, my friend."

Thorin looked into the fire, clenching his jaw.

"Are you saying that I should just accept her inclusion into this company, even if she is a woman and a human?" he asked after a moment, and Balin sighed.

"That is up to you. But I do think you should consider it," He said cautiously with the skill of someone long accustomed to advising rulers. "Sometimes the lessons learned best are the ones we take from our young ones." He gestured toward Fili and Kili, still asleep. "You say they are young and naïve, but sometimes that naivety can show us friends where they are normally unlooked for."

The older dwarf rose, and woke Bombur so he could start breakfast, leaving the king to ponder on what he had said.

XXX

Bombur made biscuits, bacon and eggs for breakfast, being willing to delve into their precious egg and flour supply for the sake of a warm meal. The dwarves could use it after the chilling night, since it seemed Fili, Kili, and Cirashala had been the only ones who had not only shared body heat, but blankets as well.

The rest of the group had wrapped themselves in their own blankets, though they did lie next to each other. While helpful, it didn't seem to be as effective, judging by the fact that several of the dwarves had chattering teeth as they growled at Balin for rousing them from their slumber. The three slept on, and were the only ones that weren't shivering in the early morning mist.

Dwalin had nearly shortened his brother further with his axe, but fortunately Balin knew him well enough that he simply jumped over it before stepping out of reach. Dwalin muttered some very creative curses in Khuzdul (and graced his brother with a less than flattering gesture) that would have gotten his ears boxed by a dwarrowdam should any have been near.

Balin just chuckled and shook his head, used to his brother's lack of tact in the mornings. Dwalin had never really been one to wake amiably, especially after a late night at a tavern. On those particular mornings, Balin simply would throw something at him from the doorway to his room, and take off running to avoid receiving in kind.

Dwalin got up, still grumbling, and went to take care of his business along with several others. On his way back into camp, he caught sight of the three comfortable (and still very much asleep) young ones. He smirked, before crouching down to pick up a bundle of snow and pack it into a fairly boulder sized snowball.

He crept upon them slowly. Several of the dwarves snickered as he raised it up. Thorin watched from his vantage point, rolling his eyes, but making no move to stop the cranky dwarf. A happy Dwalin was far better company, and frankly, it was their fault they were the last to wake. Not only that, but Dwalin had been the target for some of the boy's pranks between Hobbiton and the Trollshaws, and the two really had it coming.

Dwalin dumped the large snowball right down on top of the three with a smirk, causing them to startle awake.

"Wha…" Cirashala said, blinking her bleary eyes open.

"Mnh…" Kili mumbled, tightening his hold on Cirashala and shaking his head before nuzzling further into her hair.

"What the—Dwalin!" Fili roared, the only one not so far gone with sleep that he didn't wake immediately.

The rest of the group started howling, and Dwalin bent over and slapped his knees, guffawing madly.

Fili spit a patch of snow out of his mouth, sputtering and blinking the snow out of his eyes. Being slightly out of the blanket he had caught the worst of it. Cirashala had been huddled nearly entirely under the blanket with it bunched up just over her ear, and was so foggy with sleep she had squirmed but simply shook it off her head.

She yawned as Fili sat up to continue brushing off the snow, grabbing the blankets back toward her and snuggling back down into the warmth. She was still far more than half asleep, and her wild curls were very tangled.

"Too early," she mumbled, groaning a bit. She turned over sleepily and shuffled closer to Kili, curling up against his warm chest and falling back asleep almost instantly.

XXX

Kili felt Fili shuffling in his sleep, and tightened his hold on his brother, brows furrowing. He felt something cold on his head, but brushed it off. He was dreaming about their time as children in the Blue Mountains after the fresh snowfall. They would often play in it until they trudged unwittingly back up to their home soaking wet and exhausted. After a warm bath and meal, their mother would tuck the two shivering lads into their beds, and they would nap huddled together, Fili with his arm around Kili as Kili held onto his chest, snuggling his face into his brother's hair and lying his head on his shoulder.

He felt his brother turn over, and tightened his hold. He could feel Fili's head nestle up against his chest and vaguely heard him say, "Too early" with a very feminine voice.

_Feminine?_

Kili's eyelids fluttered open, and could feel someone shivering against him. He saw his brother standing up and brushing snow off of him while glaring at Dwalin.

_Wait-standing up?_

Kili's eyes widened and he glanced down to see Cirashala curled up into him, hand fisting into his tunic. She mumbled something inaudible, before muttering, "Sweetheart…"

_Wha-WHAT?!_

The poor dwarf's face turned crimson as Fili looked up, gaping.

"W-what did she say?" he asked in a shaky voice as Cirashala's eyes fluttered open. She glanced upward, and her eyes bulged nearly out of her skull as she gasped in shock. She pushed the furiously blushing and speechless dwarf away as hard as she could with both her hands _and_ her feet, before standing up quickly.

"I-I am s-so s-s-sorry!" she cried, turning to run with such forcefulness in her mortification that she knocked both herself and Fili down, tripping over Bilbo. The two landed in a heap on the snow as the hobbit shrieked and threw his arms over his face.

She scrambled up off of Fili, her face burning. The entire camp was completely frozen in shock, no one speaking for a good few seconds, when Fili snorted behind her. Fourteen pairs of astonished eyes flew to the young heir. He threw his hand over his mouth to try and stop, but the muffled chortles still came out, his eyes tearing up and his shoulders shaking.

"Y-you," he gasped out, "Your faces…." He lost it then, doubling over in hysterical laughter. It took only a few seconds of watching him before the entire company erupted in loud laughter. Even Thorin was having a slightly difficult time holding it in.

Cirashala about died with embarrassment, and eyed the snow. Without bothering to care what Thorin did, she reached down and grabbed a handful of snow, packing it into a quick ball before launching it at an unsuspecting Fili.

He took it right in the face, and the laughter stopped as the attention now went toward the furious young woman glaring daggers at Fili. The young heir stared at her in shock for a moment, before smirking as he subtly reached down for a handful of snow.

"So that's how it is," he said mischievously, before launching the snowball at her. She ducked quickly, causing the snowball to hit Dwalin behind her. The burly dwarf cursed and grabbed a handful of snow as well.

"Ye stinkin' little git!" he cried, returning the favor. Fili laughed and ducked as the warrior's snowball hit Ori behind him, and before Thorin could stop them a full fledged snowball war erupted.

Seemingly forgetting about breakfast, everyone grabbed fistfuls of snow and threw them at whoever they fancied. The groups of brothers tended to ban together, and pretty soon it was Dori, Nori, and Ori against Dwalin and Oin and Gloin. The two young heirs were pitted against Bofur and Bifur, Bombur being the only one who hadn't forgotten about the meal and was sitting off to the side eating as he watched the war.

Balin and Thorin watched from the sidelines, shaking their heads at the antics, until Thorin received a snowball to the ear. He whipped his head around to see the older dwarf smirking.

"Oh, really?" the dwarf king raised his eyebrow, before reaching down and grabbing a handful of snow and launching it at his advisor.

Balin ducked laughing, and Kili caught sight of their battle.

"Thorin's in!" he cried, and suddenly he and Fili began to launch the frozen missiles at their uncle. The teams shifted, with Balin, Thorin, Dwalin, Oin and Gloin against Nori, Bofur, Fili, Kili and Cirashala.

Dori had gotten Ori to step aside, fearing that his brother was getting too wet amidst the younger's protests. Bifur had joined Bombur at breakfast as well.

Kili hit Thorin smack in the face, and was promptly rewarded with a well aimed snowball to the chest. Dwalin roared as Fili charged him, hitting the old warrior's bald spot with a glancing blow as a snowball careened into the side of the blonde's face. He looked to the side to see Balin smirking.

"You think you're the only person who doesn't look out for their little brother?" he asked, chuckling as he threw another one, this time at Oin.

The battle went on for a few minutes, Cirashala scooping up snow and hurling it toward Balin. She proved to have pretty good aim. However, she wasn't paying quite as close attention behind her, and suddenly someone grabbed her from behind.

"This is for your little comment earlier," Kili whispered in her ear as he neatly dumped a patch of snow down her back. He let go of her immediately, and several of the dwarves laughed uproariously as she shrieked and jumped around, trying to get the offending piece of wet snow out of her tunic without undressing.

Kili laughed loudly as he clutched his brother, and Thorin shook his head, chuckling. The battle ended then, and several panting but joyful dwarves returned to the warm fire, glad to see that Bombur had been entertained enough watching the dwarves battle each other in the snow like dwarflings to not eat their shares of food.

Cirashala finally managed to get the patch of snow out, having turned her back to the group to quickly undo her belt so as to allow the offending piece of now ice to fall out before refastening it.

She returned to the fire shivering, and reached for her plate. She jumped a bit as she felt a blanket draped over her shoulders, and looked up into the smiling face of Kili. He sat down next to her as Fili sat on the other side, and the two dug into their food with gusto.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**_A response to guest reviewer Ri-chan- sounds like the weather has been crazy for you lately. I am glad you are enjoying the story and you are welcome for managing two chapters yesterday! J_**

**_Thanks to all who review, favorite, and follow- you guys are the best! :D_**


	31. Chapter 31

_**I do not own any of the characters or the Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC) those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reull Tolkien, and without his genius, this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.**_

_**Please review! I love getting them-they keep me encouraged! J**_

Balin shook his head as he saw the red faced but cheery dwarves around the fire. There had been a lot of pent up tension among the group after the events on the plain, and now he could see several of them visibly relaxed.

Thorin, especially, hadn't looked this relaxed since the dragon took Erebor. He had had brief moments of it with his nephews since they were little, but never before had Thorin allowed the "king" to fall away in front of those who were not family. Fighting in the snow, they had all felt like young dwarflings again without a care in the world.

He had chuckled at the looks on the two young faces when Cirashala had realized her mistaken muttering. He glanced at the young girl now, who was picking at her food, having drunk her pain tea already. Despite the energetic morning, she was the only one who seemed dispirited. Balin recognized the look in her eyes-the same one that Thorin got whenever he remembered his kin falling at the Battle of Azanulbizar.

He had a sneaky suspicion that the word she muttered must have had something to do with her late husband. The word "sweetheart" amongst dwarves and humans alike was an endearment term, usually used in reference to a child or one's spouse or intended. It wasn't used at all with those who weren't kin, of that he was certain.

He resolved to find the chance to speak to her at some point during their walk that day. He had a feeling that her grief was affecting her far more than she was letting on.

XXX

As soon as breakfast was finished, their bowls were cleaned and the company packed up. Cirashala managed to slip away unnoticed, ducking behind another outcropping of rock that was a little smaller than the one the company had sheltered against. Shivering, she took off her wet cloak and tunic, and reached into her pack for her spare tunic. She heard footsteps crunching in the snow, and gasped, bringing her tunic up quickly to cover her torso as the owner of the footsteps came in sight.

XXX

Kili had seen her slip away, and dug in his pack for his spare wool tunic, before pulling Bilbo aside. He handed the tunic to Bilbo, who looked somewhat confused.

"The clothes the elves gave her aren't warm enough for the snow," he explained quietly, nodding in the direction she went. "This would be warmer. W-would you mind taking it to her?" The young dwarf swallowed, feeling the tips of his ears redden.

"Why me?" Bilbo asked quietly, confusion in his tone. The young dwarf shuffled nervously, before shooting Bilbo a pleading look.

"Please, Bilbo?" he whispered, voice wavering. The look on Kili's face made Bilbo realize that the accidental comment earlier had embarrassed the young dwarf more than he had originally thought. He sighed, taking the tunic.

"If she impales me for interrupting her privacy, it's on your head," he muttered, and Kili shot him a relieved look.

"Thank you, Mr. Baggins," he said, smiling gratefully, and that is when Bilbo knew for certain that the young dwarf was genuinely not trying to pull any pranks on him. After his accidental mispronunciation of Bilbo's name that first night in Bag End, the two had been joking back and forth calling him "Mr. Boggins" at every turn.

Bilbo turned and followed the small footprints, grinning like an idiot at finally having his name pronounced correctly despite his anxiety at interrupting a woman's private time. One didn't have to be wed to know that women can be very dangerous when they feel violated in any way, and Bilbo didn't want to risk the possibility of being skewered.

XXX

She turned around quickly, to spot a shadow on the ground that was obviously the hobbit, if the short hair on the shadow was any indication. Looking around, she didn't spot him, realizing that he was just out of sight behind the rock.

"Don't draw your sword!" he cried from the side of the rock. "I will not look, I promise!" She let out the nervous breath she was holding.

"Bilbo?" she asked, confused. "What are you doing?" The hobbit shuffled for a moment, and a teal blue bundle of cloth came into view, landing on the ground a few paces away from her. She could see the shadow turn, and crept forward quickly to pick up the cloth, surprised to see a hooded tunic that looked surprisingly like Kili's. She backed up quickly out of sight.

"It's all right, Bilbo," she said. "I am back behind the rock." She could see the arm on the shadow drop from where Bilbo had obviously covered his eyes. "Why did you give me Kili's tunic?"

"He said that your clothes were too thin for the snow," he replied. "He asked me to give you his spare. Said it would be warmer." Her eyes widened, and she fingered the woolen tunic. It would indeed be far warmer than her clothing, if not a bit wide for her slender frame and narrow shoulders.

Well, narrower than the dwarves' broad shoulders at least, she thought to herself. At least she wouldn't have to worry about the tunic not being too tight across the chest, since the dwarves had broader chests than human men. Had it been a man's tunic instead of a dwarf's, she would have had a slight bit of trouble breathing with her annoyingly large chest.

"I-is everything all right?" Bilbo asked her, and she looked up.

"Yes," she said. "W-would you be so kind as to tell Kili thank you for me, and that I will be sure to give it back as soon as we leave the snow?" She could see the hobbit's shadow nod, before pausing.

"Yes, of course," he replied, realizing that she could not see his head from his current position. He moved away, and thanks to the wind she faintly caught him muttering something about being relegated to a mere messenger and "That certainly wasn't in the contract either."

She shook her head, sighing heavily, before donning the much warmer piece of clothing.

XXX

She rejoined the group quickly, having put her cloak back on over the tunic, and the company set out. A few suspicious looks were cast her way, and Nori looked between her and Kili. The thief moved back until he was even with her, and gave her a sidelong glance.

"Reduced to openly stealing, I take it?" he asked, suspicion clouding his voice as he regarded her with a scowl.

He is really one to talk, she thought. I seem to remember something about him lifting sausages from Bilbo's house.

She glared back, and gestured ahead toward Kili, who was a few dwarves ahead of them.

"Kili let me borrow it, because these elvish clothes were a bit thin," she said, and Nori lifted an eyebrow.

"Really? Kili gave it to you?" he asked, and she looked away.

"Well, no, but—" she began, but Nori cut her off, grabbing her arm.

"Listen, human, I may be a thief also, but I won't tolerate you stealing from my prince," he growled, squeezing her arm where Thorin had a few days prior, causing her to wince.

A hand grabbed Nori's shoulder and swung him roughly around, and Fili looked the thief in the eye.

"Let go of her, Nori," he growled, his voice low as he stepped uncomfortably close. The thief glared back.

"She stole from your brother," he replied loudly, causing the company to halt abruptly. Thorin looked back at her, and his eyes widened, before his face darkened with anger.

Before the dwarf king could move, Kili spoke up.

"I asked Bilbo to give her my spare tunic so she wouldn't freeze to death," he declared loudly, glaring daggers at the surprised Nori. The young prince narrowed his dark eyes. "And I would advise you to not go around accusing _others_ of thievery, Nori."

There was a finality to his tone that few of them had heard before from the young dwarf, and in that brief moment, the mischievous youngster gave way to the Prince of the line of Durin.

Nori visibly paled, and instantly let go of her arm. He muttered an apology, and looked at Fili.

"Would you please let go of me, my prince?" he asked formally, swallowing nervously. Fili glared at him once more before releasing his hold. The chastised dwarf moved ahead in line, and Fili took up the space beside the young woman, narrowed eyes following Nori's back as the young heir stood by her protectively.

The group continued to walk, and Nori passed the still Kili with his head down, not meeting the angry dwarf's narrowed eyes as he followed the thief with his gaze. Kili spoke quietly but firmly so that the others could not hear as the thief passed him.

"Do not lay your hands on her again." Nori nodded quickly and scurried past. No amount of punishments for his past deeds would ever compare to facing the wrath of the Heirs of Durin, and that was something he did not wish to ever encounter.

XXX

They continued walking for a good portion of the morning. The wind began to pick up, and despite the warmer tunic Cirashala shivered, drawing her cloak about her and tucking her hands in her underarms. They stopped for a hurried meal at midday, and several of the dwarves and the hobbit shot anxious glances at the rapidly darkening sky above.

The thick gray clouds hung ominously, increasing in number until the bright blue sky had disappeared. The sun was nowhere to be seen, its presence known only by the fact that the mountaintop was not in utter darkness just yet.

An hour into the afternoon portion of their march, snow began to fall. It was light at first, the tiny flakes swirling in the wind as they neared the snowy ground. It wasn't long before the flakes became larger, and their visibility was greatly diminished.

Cirashala glanced anxiously over her shoulder at the hobbit. She remembered that he had gotten a spare cloak from Dwalin in the book, but he didn't seem to have it now. The hobbit's pointed ears and nose were very red, and his shivers were long past the point of subtlety. He too held his hands under his arms, and she could see his teeth chattering.

She remembered when the Fellowship had tried to cross Caradhras, and how they ended up crossing under the mountain instead of over it because the hobbits, namely Merry and Pippin, nearly froze to death in the blizzard on the pass. Her eyes widened.

She moved off to the side, and Fili looked at her worriedly, stopping as well. He had stayed by her side since the misunderstanding with Nori, while Kili had walked between Nori and them up near Thorin.

"Is something wrong?" he asked her, his brow furrowed with concern. She said nothing as she removed her pack and quiver quickly, and took her cloak off and set it down beside them. His eyes widened.

"What are you doing? My brother gave you his tunic so you wouldn't freeze!" he exclaimed, grabbing the tunic off the ground. "Are you out of your mind?" She donned her pack and quiver, drawing the hood of the tunic up as she nodded towards Bilbo. Fili followed her gaze, and his eyes widened a bit.

"Bilbo is colder than I," she replied. "He isn't dressed for this either, and though I may not be as durable and hardy as a dwarf, a human would stand these conditions better than a hobbit. He will be useless as a burglar if he were dead."

Before Fili could respond, she snatched her cloak out of his arms and threw it at Bilbo. The unsuspecting hobbit didn't see it coming, and it hit him full in the face. He looked down at what he had surprisingly managed to catch, and glanced back up at Cirashala, eyes wide.

"Don't want your ears freezing off, Mr. Baggins!" she called to the astonished hobbit, before turning and continuing to walk. Fili looked between the two, completely flabbergasted.

"Kili!" he cried ahead, and his brother turned. Fili signed something quickly in Igleshmek, and within seconds the two brothers were on either side of Cirashala, shielding her body from the wind as they walked.

It was almost comical, because they kept bumping shoulders with each other and at one point the fletching of her arrows poked Fili's ear, causing the blond haired dwarf to leap to the side with a startled yelp, much to the amusement of the company. But despite her insistence that they needn't walk directly next to her, the two refused to budge.

XXX

The storm continued to worsen, and soon they were in fog as well as they climbed higher.

"We have to find shelter!" Dwalin roared at Thorin just simply to be heard over the howling wind. "We will all freeze to death if we keep going like this!" Thorin nodded in agreement.

At that point, the dwarves had been resorted to using the spade that Fili carried and Bofur's mattock to dig through the two and a half foot deep snowdrifts ahead of them. They alternated the work, switching as soon as they began to sweat in order to not freeze.

"Keep an eye out for shelter!" Thorin shouted, signing as well as his voice was lost in the wind. The dwarves who saw the gestures signed to those behind them, and everyone kept a sharp eye out for anything besides snow they could utilize as a shelter.

Unfortunately, visibility in the blizzard at that point was reduced to about four feet ahead, and each member of the company kept their eyes mostly glued to the person in front of them in order to avoid getting separated. That of course also meant that they really had no choice but to continue on ahead in hopes that shelter would come to them.

Bofur had just finished his turn with the mattock and was retreating further back in the group towards his brother when the usually cheerful dwarf stumbled and shouted. Bombur, who was just behind the trio and Bofur, cried out as his brother fell off to the side, sliding down the steep icy slope alongside them and disappearing into the fog and swirling snow.

The two brothers left Cirashala's side to hold Bombur back from following after his brother, and even between the two of them they could barely hold Bombur back from sliding down the slope in his panic. Bifur was being held back by Dori and Gloin, shouting in ancient Khuzdul as he fought against them.

Cirashala's face was white as she peered as hard as she could into the swirling mist, but she could not see any shadows that would indicate the missing dwarf. All the dwarves as well as Bilbo and Cirashala called Bofur's name, hoping against all hope that the dwarf's reply would carry on the wind.

Their frantic cries rang out, lost on the wind as not one of them dared to voice the possibility that they may never receive an answer.

XXX

The company huddled cautiously around where the dwarf fell, and Thorin came to the front of the group.

"Who has rope?" he asked loudly, and several dwarves produced them from their packs. The ropes only measured about fifty feet in length, and Thorin ordered them tied together to maximize their chances of finding the missing dwarf. Fili and Kili, as well as Thorin, Balin, and Dwalin tied the knots, all of them having been trained to know as many knots as possible as part of their warrior training.

Cirashala watched as each knot was cinched, glancing anxiously into the storm. The last knot was tightened, and Thorin looked at the group. His eyes settled on Bilbo.

"Burglar!" he asked. "You are the lightest one of us, and it will be easier to pull you and Bofur up." The hobbit looked like his heart dropped into his stomach as he glanced furtively at the rope.

"No, I will go," a quiet voice intervened, and thirteen pairs of wide eyes stared at her.

"Absolutely not," Thorin growled, giving her a dark look. She planted her feet and stared back at him evenly.

"I am stronger than the hobbit, and Bilbo is half frozen. His fingers will be too cold to tie a proper knot," she argued.

"I will _not_ have you go down there!" Thorin yelled. Her eyes narrowed.

"Why?" she shouted back. "Because of that stupid blood debt?"

"Yes!" Thorin roared. "If I allow you to go down there, and you are killed, your blood would be on my hands!"

"Then who else knows how to tie a knot, is light enough that the company could pull them and Bofur up together, and knows how to stop bleeding and bandage a wound?" she bit back. "I can do all those things! Can Bilbo? If he can, I will concede." The two pairs of blue eyes warred with each other as they stared each other down. Cirashala broke the silence.

"You think that just because I am a woman and not a dwarf that I cannot survive out here?" She shouted. "I am no stranger to blizzards, and I have sharp ears. I know I haven't done as well yet because I was wounded, but you treat me as though I am made of glass!"

"You are a woman!" Thorin roared. "Women belong in their homes, not on a quest to slay a dragon! You should have _never_ come with us!" Her eyes widened in shock, before she turned red faced with anger. Before anyone could stop her, she dove past Thorin toward the rope, grabbing it as tightly as she could as she slid down the slope.

XXX

She heard shouts behind her as she slid rapidly down the ice, rolling as she tried to pull herself higher on the rope in order to tie it about her waist. She desperately hoped they had managed to grab the end of it before the rope slipped from their reach.

She hit a small protrusion of ice, and managed to stop with her feet. She hurriedly tied the rope securely about her waist, pulling it taught. Once she was certain it was secure, she pushed off the icy ledge and continued on, listening intently for any sound besides the wind.

She screamed as she plunged suddenly into a dark hole, the loud sound drowned by the howling wind.

XXX

Her eyes fluttered open, and she heard a groan. Sitting up on the pile of snow she had drug into the hole with her as she fell, she peered into the dark ice cavern.

"Who's there?" she asked. "Bofur? Is that you?" She was answered with another groan, and squinted her eyes in an attempt to see in the very dim cavern, lit by only the little light that shone through the hole about eight feet above her. She saw a dark shape crumpled up about five feet from her, and stood up and moved towards it, keeping her hand on the hilt of her sword.

She dropped to her knees at the side of the dark shape, and immediately recognized Bofur's strange hat about two feet away. Her eyes widened and she let go of her sword immediately, feeling for a pulse.

"Bofur?" she asked. She felt along his neck for any swelling. Finding none, she gently turned his head toward her. The miner's eyes fluttered open.

"Lass?" he asked, and she nodded.

"Aye," she said. "Are you hurt?" The miner looked at her for a moment as though to see whether or not he could trust her, then squeezed his eyes shut and nodded.

"My head," he groaned. "Mu….must have hit it w-when I fell." She nodded.

"I am going to feel around your head and make sure there isn't any bleeding," she said. "It might hurt a bit, but I will try to be gentle. I am sorry I cannot just look and see, but it is dark in here." Bofur nodded, and she began to move her hands gently around his skull.

She soon found the bump near the coronal suture just above his forehead. He groaned when she prodded it. It was wet, warm and slightly sticky, but there didn't seem to be too much of it. At least she had jumped with her pack and still had some bandages from Lord Elrond.

"Your head is bleeding," she said. "I hope that you stubborn dwarves truly have as thick skulls as you seem to." Despite his pain, Bofur chuckled.

"Well, my cousin t-took an axe to h-his head, and he seems fine," Bofur replied shakily.

"Only if you are fluent in Khuzdul," she replied, putting a small bandage on the wound, applying pressure. Bofur hissed, but she did not cease the pressure.

"I am sorry, but I must put pressure on it to stop the bleeding," she whispered. "Head wounds can bleed very badly. I once ran into a swinging metal horse when I was a small child, and I soaked several bandages until the healer put four stitches in my head. Right about where your cousin's axe is, come to think of it." She grabbed his hand and placed it on the bandage.

"Hold this," she instructed, and reached into her bag for the salve and a thicker roll of bandages. She placed a dab of the salve on the cut, earning another hiss as it stung a bit. She then lifted his head up and proceeded to wrap the bandage around it. Bofur moved his fingers as the bandage came to where his wound was, and she wrapped it about four times before tying it off.

"Thank ye, lass," he whispered. "What was that stuff you put on my head?"

"Are you going to kill me if I tell you?" she asked. "Because if you are, I am not going to answer that. Suffice to say that it will help keep away infection." She could see Bofur eye her warily in the dim light.

"It's your elvish medicine, isn't it?" he asked, before sighing. "Well, I suppose it will make do." Cirashala let out the breath she was holding.

"Are you hurt anywhere else?" she asked, and Bofur groaned.

"Well, to be honest everything hurts, but I think the only place that was more than just bruises was my head," he replied. "You're a healer, aren't you?" Cirashala bit her lip.

"Well, yes and no," she said truthfully. "I was studying to be a healer, but I had to stop due to a difficult time when I was carrying my first chi—" she stopped abruptly, tears pricking her eyes and she lowered her head. Bofur placed his hand on her arm.

"It's all right, lass," he said softly. "All of us have lost someone at one time or another. It's nothing to be ashamed of." She nodded gratefully as the miner smiled. He looked around and tried to sit up. She immediately reached out put his arm over hers, before aiding him to stand.

The dwarf was rather unsteady on his feet for a moment, and took a shuddering breath as he fought dizziness.

"Are you doing all right?" she asked him as he took several deep breaths.

"Aye," he replied. "Just a bit dizzy, but it's getting better." She nodded, and released him when he seemed to be steady.

The pair looked up at the gaping hole above them, and Bofur caught sight of the rope dangling over the edge and followed it to where it was tied around her waist.

"Thorin let _you_ come down here to find me?" he asked, extremely surprised as he turned to look at her. She winced and shuffled her feet.

"Well, see, Thorin wasn't exactly too keen on the idea, so he will very likely kill me when I get back up to the group," she replied. "So, if it isn't too much trouble, would you be extremely kind and let him know I found you so he doesn't?" Bofur stared at her for a moment, before laughing loudly. His laugh echoed a bit in the small ice cavern, and he winced as he grabbed his head.

"As long as that rope of yours is attached to the company at the other end, I would be glad to," he replied, winking at her. "So how are you supposed to let them know you are ready to be pulled back up?"

Cirashala's eyes widened comically, face paling as her head whipped up to the hole, before looking back at Bofur.

"Oops."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_**A response to guest reviewer Ari- Thank you! I am glad you are liking it!**_

_**Thanks to all who reviewed, favorited, and followed! You guys are wonderful! :D**_


	32. Chapter 32

_**I do not own any of the characters or the Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC) those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reull Tolkien, and without his genius, this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.**_

_**Please review! I love getting them-they keep me encouraged! J**_

It took Thorin half a second to realize what had happened, and when he did, he lunged for the quickly disappearing rope. He caught it with one hand, and if it hadn't been for Dwalin's quick reflexes grabbing his boot, he would have slid down the icy slope as well.

Several members of the company had cried out as Cirashala slid out of sight, and Fili and Kili managed to disentangle themselves from Bombur just in time to catch Dwalin's boots. If the situation had been different, the others might have laughed heartily at the spectacle before them-Thorin holding the rope while several feet down the slope with his hair over his face, Dwalin holding Thorin's boot, also down the slope, and Fili and Kili on the path with their arms wrapped around each of Dwalin's legs, red faced in exertion as they tried to keep their uncle and distant cousin from following the missing members of their company.

The two heirs were aided by the company, and between the lot of them managed to pull Thorin and Dwalin to safety. It wasn't easy, as the king and his closest friend were, with exception to Bombur, the heaviest of the company. Their heavy armor and weapons didn't help matters, nor did the lack of traction in the slippery snow.

Several members of the company peered into the swirling mist, but they had no more luck spotting her than they did Bofur. Fili and Kili shouted for Cirashala and the miner, and several of the dwarves and Bilbo echoed their calls. They heard nothing.

Kili looked at his uncle, and his eyes narrowed. Fili could sense his brother's anger begin to rise to the surface, and placed a hand on his shoulder to try and restrain him.

"Uncle!" Kili spat, not caring that he was addressing Thorin by family title, "How could you say those things! She has done nothing but help us, and now you let her fall to her death!" Fili's grip tightened on his brother's shoulder in an attempt to keep him from doing something reckless, but his glare matched his brother's as they stared at their uncle.

"She jumped herself!" Thorin growled. "Do you think I wanted her to go down there? I tried to stop her!"

"By saying she wasn't part of the company?" Kili yelled back. "That she belonged in her home? Her home is _gone_, uncle! She has nothing to go back to!"

"How do you know that?" Thorin angrily spat. "She might have an empty house, but it would still be safer than out here!"

"Like our house was safe for our mother?" Kili growled. "She locked herself in her room for_ months_ when father died, and it was only because of us and you that she didn't starve to death!"

Thorin's eyes darkened, and Kili knew he was treading on dangerous territory. Their mother's_ incapacitation_ was not mentioned to any save Balin and Dwalin and Oin, because after Thrain went mad with grief and went missing, there had been some talk questioning the sanity of the elder Durin's line. Rumors spread amongst taverns and marketplaces, and it had taken a great deal of effort for Thorin and his nephews to try and keep up appearances and claim their mother had gone to visit relatives. They had tried their best to not expose their mother's weakness in order to avoid the shame that would follow her after.

"You would dare to speak to me of your mother's grief openly?" Thorin replied lowly, his voice as sharp as steel. Kili stood there seething, dark eyes locked with steel blue ones.

"These dwarves are all but family. Over half of them are related to your sister by blood," Balin replied, stepping between the two angry royals and looking pointedly at Thorin. "They have all sworn loyalty to you, and would not dare to betray your confidence, am I correct?" Balin looked pointedly at the remaining company members still on the path, and each of them nodded immediately. He looked then at Kili.

"Laddie, perhaps you should calm down. Your uncle very clearly never intended her to go down there," Balin said gently but firmly.

"Cirashala's family has only been gone for a week and a half, and she just slid down a bloody mountain to rescue someone she barely knows!" the furious young dwarf protested. "And he—"

"What's that?" Ori interrupted, pointing at the rope that Thorin still held in his hands. Silence fell on the group as they looked at the still rope.

"Oh for Durin's sake, Ori, it's just a rope," Dori chided, then leaned over to whisper loudly in his ear, "Best not interrupt their argument if you would like to keep your head." Ori glared at his elder brother, and pointed again.

"I saw it move!" he protested, and just as Dori opened his mouth to scold him again, the rope jerked, harder this time. Several of the company's eyes widened as they looked to Thorin.

Thorin looked down at it with wide eyes, then looked back at Dwalin.

"You don't suppose…" he began, but then the rope jerked even harder, making Thorin stumble and nearly lose his footing. Dwalin reached out and grabbed the rope with one hand, steadying Thorin with the other.

"Get the rope lads!" Balin cried, grabbing the rope behind Dwalin. "Pull!"

XXX

Cirashala and Bofur gave another sharp tug on the rope, each one harder than the last.

"Maybe they didn't grab the rope in time!" Cirashala cried, looking wide eyed at Bofur with a dejected look on her face. "Mr. Bofur, I am so—" She cut off with a yelp as she suddenly started to rise off the ground. Bofur's face broke out in a wide grin.

"It worked!" he cried. She jerked upward again, now a foot off the ground.

"Bofur!" she cried, "You might want to grab onto me about now!" The miner jumped up and wrapped his arms around her shoulders just as she got yanked up again. He nearly lost his grip, but managed to grip the front of her tunic and pull himself up, earning a slight squeak from her at just what he gripped.

"My apologies for grabbing anything I shouldn't," he said behind her quickly, sounding a little sheepish, and she rolled her eyes.

"If it's a matter of getting you back up there to keep Thorin from killing me or my modesty, I choose getting you back up there," she replied, trying to ignore the pain in her wound as the bottom of the rope rubbed against the top of it.

"My thanks, lass," he replied, and she could hear the sincerity and relief in his tone. She sighed.

"Just remember, if you try anything like that once we're back up there, oath or no oath I will hit your face, yank off your balls and stuff them down your throat, and make your wife or mother have to start sewing dresses for you from now on," she threatened, and the miner laughed heartily.

"We may eat like heathens, or so Bilbo says," he chuckled. "But I can assure you lass, we dwarves are an honorable lot, and would never deliberately dishonor a woman. No matter what race she is. 'Tis a crime punishable by death." The two grunted, and Cirashala felt all air leave her as they were pulled out of the hole and back into the storm.

The edge of the hole had very thankfully been blunted by the wind on the ice melting, otherwise they would have been seriously cut. As is, it put a lot of pressure on Cirashala's wound, especially with Bofur now on top of her, and she sucked her tummy in as hard as she could despite the pain to keep the stitches from ripping out.

She cried out in pain as they were pulled over the lip of the hole, her shoulder shaking as she fought vomiting.

"You all right, lass?" Bofur asked her, speaking into her ear to be heard above the noise of the howling wind. She gritted her teeth, her breaths coming out in pants, and swallowed heavily.

"I….will…" she was cut off as her face hit a small drift of snow. She spat it out and shook her head, gripping Bofur's arms around her shoulder as they dropped over the small snowdrift and met ice again.

"W-wrap your legs around me," she stuttered, teeth still gripped. "D-don't want y-you falling off." The miner did as she suggested, piggybacking on her as they were pulled more swiftly up the slope now that there weren't as many hindrances. The high speed of the wind had made most of the snow blow off the ice, something the two were very thankful for at the moment.

Cirashala did not miss the fact that Bofur laid his head down atop hers, shielding her further from the wind. She was grateful for it, because the storm was far colder than the cavern they had just been in, and she was really beginning to feel the effects of being wet and cold.

As she felt the pressure of his head against the back of hers, she really hoped he hadn't been downplaying his head injury. The last thing they needed was a concussed dwarf, or worse, a dwarf with a brain injury.

XXX

The group kept pulling as quickly as they could. It had been difficult at first, but had become easier after a few minutes. There was definitely weight at the other end of the rope, and they could only hope that weight was not a rock or block of ice.

Thorin was closest to the slope, followed by Dwalin, Balin, Fili, Kili, and the rest of the company. The snow had drifted on the slope above them, which was a much gentler slope than the one below the path, and most of the company at the back of the rope had planted their feet in the snow to give them leverage.

There were a few members not holding the rope, but that was simply due to the slack they had not being long enough. As soon as there was, Bilbo had been tasked with making sure the rope was coiled neatly behind them to avoid tangles. It was the best task for the hobbit, considering that they had limited space for people to pull, and he was nowhere near as strong as the dwarves and wouldn't be as effective as pulling.

They passed the fifth knot, and Thorin and Dwalin, as well as those who weren't pulling, began to peer into the storm for sign of the end of the rope-and hopefully their companions. Few of the dwarves expected to find Bofur, given that they seriously doubted she would have been able to find him. The ones that did either were unwilling to face the possibility that their friend and companion was gone, or had hope that she had succeeded in her task.

They were getting close to what they thought was the end of the rope, when a large shadow came into sight. Thorin stopped suddenly, blinking rapidly as his eyes widened.

"By my beard," Dwalin muttered in disbelief behind him, eyes going wide as a very familiar silhouette lifted up from the shadowy lump.

"Oi, it's rather cold, so could ye please finish pulling us up before we freeze to death?" Bofur shouted, "This ice isn't all that comfortable!" Thorin gaped, and several of the dwarves let out a cheer, Bombur being the loudest along with Bifur.

_By Mahal, she really did it_, Thorin thought in disbelief, _She actually found him!_

They quickly pulled them up the last few feet, and several pairs of arms reached down to haul Bofur up onto the path. Once the heavy dwarf was off of her, Cirashala all but crawled back onto the path, panting heavily as she rested on all fours.

The company surrounded their thought lost member, exclamations ringing out as they breathed sighs of relief. Bombur enveloped his brother into a huge bear hug, tears pricking in his eyes. Bofur's eyes teared as well, but for a completely different reason.

"Oi, Brother!" he gasped out. "Can't….breathe!" Bifur smacked his cousin across the back of his head to the amusement of the company, and Bombur released a gasping Bofur, accidentally knocking his hat off in the process. Bifur cried something in Khuzdul, pointing at Bofur's bandaged head, to which the miner shrugged.

"Seems to have gotten a bit of a bump to the head, but t'was nothing really," he replied. "The lass found me and took care of me just fine." The dwarf winked at her, grinning, and she understood that he had knocked his hat off on purpose so he could fulfill his part in their agreement.

Several pairs of eyes turned towards her, and respect shone from most of them.

"How did you find him?" Fili asked, kneeling beside the now sitting young woman.

"How indeed?" Dwalin added, looking at her with a curious glint in his eye. She swallowed and flushed a bit as she looked down at her lap.

"I fell in the same hole he did," she muttered, and Dwalin's eyebrows raised, before he burst out laughing. Several of the dwarves joined him, and she reddened even further, biting her lip, before shooting a puzzled look in Thorin's direction.

Fili and Kili followed her gaze, and so did Balin. The older dwarf sighed as he saw Thorin holding his elbow in his hand and his other hand over his face. Kili and Fili shared a worried glance. The younger swallowed nervously as he stood and approached his uncle.

"Thorin, I'm sor—" he stopped short as Thorin took no notice of him, and Kili's brow furrowed even further. "U-uncle? Are you all right?" Thorin continued to ignore him, and Cirashala's eyes widened as her mouth fell open when she saw his shaking shoulders.

"He-he's laughing at me," she said slowly, disbelief in her voice. Fili looked at her, then back at his brother. The two locked eyes, before wide grins escaped from their faces. Balin chuckled as he looked at the king, and Dwalin reached over and clapped his old raven-haired friend on the shoulder. The burly dwarf smirked before looking at Cirashala.

"Not bad, lassie," he said, grinning as he nodded his head. "Not bad."

XXX

After the laughter had died down, Thorin raised his head up from his palm, his visage stern again though a slight sparkle of amusement was still apparent in his blue eyes.

"Bofur!" he called, and the dwarf in question stood in front of him, hat back in place. "You two said something about a hole?" Bofur nodded.

"Aye, we fell into a cave of sorts," he replied. "It was a cavern in the ice." Thorin nodded, glancing at Dwalin.

"How far down is this 'cave'?" he asked, and Bofur shrugged.

"Not sure exactly," he replied. "Seemed like forever when you were pulling us up, but I figure it is no further than the length of the rope or so, since you still had a hold on it while we were in there." Thorin hummed, glancing at the rope.

"Was it dry and warm?" Balin asked. Bofur nodded.

"Warmer than out here," he replied, shivering. "And it was just the one hole- it was hard to see, but it didn't appear to have any tunnels off of it." Thorin turned toward Bofur again.

"Is it big enough to take shelter in?" he asked. Bofur nodded.

"It will be tight, but it should be big enough," he replied. "Though we would have to get into it from the hole in the top, which is about eight feet or so off the bottom of the cavern, and figure out a way to get out in the morning." Several of the dwarves nodded in agreement, each eager to be out of the foul weather and next to a warm fire.

"Dwalin," Thorin said, turning toward his friend. "Do we have any way to secure the rope up here so we can get down to this cavern and return to the path in the morning?" Dwalin stood for a moment, thinking.

"It would work if we had a stake of some sort to tie the rope to," he replied. "But it would have to be very strong to support all our weight, and set very deep in the ice." Thorin sighed, before looking at the miner.

"It would be a good place to take shelter, but it is too risky to just slide down and hope that it is found by chance again," he replied, before turning toward the group. "We need to move on!" Several of the dwarves groaned, and Bilbo sniffled loudly, his nose running like crazy in the cold. He wiped it with his sleeve, not caring anymore.

XXX

Fili got to his feet, before glancing down at Cirashala. She was breathing loudly, and had her arms wrapped around her middle. He motioned Kili over, who knelt on her other side.

"Are you all right?" the younger asked, eyes searching her face. She opened her face, her expression pained.

"I will be," she replied. "Just bumped my side a bit on the way up." The two exchanged a worried glance, and she shivered. Both placed their hands on her shoulders, and Fili looked toward Thorin.

"We need to get out of the cold!" he shouted, and Thorin turned to him. Fili glanced at the girl, then back at Thorin, his meaning clear.

_She must get out of the cold, or she will die._

"We have no way of getting down to the cavern," he replied, before glancing at the shivering girl. "Anything we try will risk getting even more members of the company hurt, and we cannot risk that."

"But she will freeze!" Kili argued, and was going to continue when Cirashala laid her hand on his arm.

"I will be fine," she replied, and Kili shook his head.

"No you won't," he replied, "You are too cold, and you are hurt."

"I am expendable," she replied, earning shocked stares. She looked at Thorin as she continued speaking to Kili. "I will not allow any more of the company get hurt because of me." The two young dwarves gave her a confused look, glancing between her and their uncle.

"Bofur falling wasn't your fault!" Fili replied vehemently.

"Why in Durin's name would you think it was?" Kili asked her, eyes wide. "You weren't anywhere near him when he slipped!"

"I don't think it wasn't my fault," she replied, "but why do you think I insisted_ I_ be the one to go after Bofur? Because if I failed, you would have only lost one member of the company not two." The two young dwarves gaped at her, completely stunned.

"You are not expendable," Kili replied after a moment. "Why would you think that?" She didn't answer, her brow furrowed in thought as she looked at a shivering Bilbo. Her eyes widened, and she looked up at Thorin.

"A hobbit hole," she said, causing confused looks from the entire company, especially Bilbo.

"A what?" Balin asked, and she stood up shakily.

"Hobbits dig holes into the side of hills for their homes," she said, looking toward Bilbo. "Am I right, Mr. Baggins?" Bilbo looked from her to Thorin and back, not quite happy about being the center of attention with a very runny nose.

"Yes?" he asked, looking at her as though she sprouted two heads. Dwalin and Thorin exchanged glances, and Kili looked at her, his eyes widening.

"Thorin we need to find shelter quickly!" he cried. "The cold is making her confused!" She shook her head adamantly.

"I am _not_ confused!" she said, annoyance clear in her voice as she glared at the young dwarf, before turning to a very puzzled Thorin.

"If a hobbit can dig a home out of the side of a grassy hill, couldn't we dig a shelter out of the side of a hill of snow?" she asked. Thorin glanced at Balin, and the elder shook his head.

"It wouldn't be sturdy enough, lass," he said. "Snow is a lot looser than soil, and far less stable." She shook her head.

"But _ice_ is not," she said. "We light a torch, and we pack the snow as tightly as we can. As we dig we hold the torch up next to the walls, and the snow will melt, and freeze again quickly in this cold air. It will make the walls solid ice, just like the cavern Bofur and I fell into." Thorin's eyes widened as he glanced at Dwalin and Balin, before looking back again at her.

"You are without a doubt the craziest human I have ever met," Thorin replied, shaking his head. "But that just might work."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX X**

**_A response to guest reviewer Ri-chan- yeah….Thorin's gonna be a mite cranky with her, but it will up his respect for her a bit. But what she did made sense- Bilbo doesn't really have any survival skills, and she was the next lightest member (and depending on how much Bilbo weighed at this time of the quest, it is possible that he may have even been above her 138 lbs despite being a full foot shorter). And he isn't as strong as she is, because he is not used to manual labor other than basic gardening, and would have had trouble had Bofur been unconscious. She isn't trying to play the "heroine" at all, she is just trying to help. That is all she is doing and all she HAS been doing is trying to help, and she knew that if a dwarf went down there, the company probably could have gotten him back up. But it was risky, and as far as she knows, Oin is the only other person with healing experience. And he is half deaf, so he could not have heard Bofur's shouts if he was conscious, and there was a high possibility that Bofur would have been injured in the fall. She really was one of the best candidates, but alas she is a woman and a human, and dwarves can be chauvinistic in both good ways (Fili and Kili) and bad ways (Thorin)._**

**_A response to guest reviewer Berioferion- I am glad you are enjoying the story! I also do get tired sometimes of authors who only do book/movie and don't fill in the many weeks in between. I know it is making my story very lengthy, but I had always wondered what on earth happened during the "lull" times. It took by no means one day to cross the Misty Mountains (my estimate based on the Atlas of Middle Earth is fifty miles across them as the raven flies, and probably extending to 70 by the time all the winding around is taken into account), and it must have taken them at least a week on foot, if not longer given weather and up/down elevation! Plus, it's not like orcs and wargs and goblins were the ONLY things in the wild- there must have been wild animals, and given the time of year any rivers they had to cross was undoubtedly swollen from spring/early summer snowmelt. Not only that, but I can imagine weather often was a hindrance, for even if the lower elevations had rain, the upper areas with snow and glaciers must have snowed. The Misty Mountains, as demonstrated in Fellowship, are no weekend hike in a national park, and were very dangerous. These times in my opinion are very useful to use as characterization moments, and I loved the few times in the movie where they showed camping and such, because it provided awesome characterization as well._**

**_Thanks to all who have reviewed, favorited, and followed- you guys have been absolutely wonderful! :D_**


	33. Chapter 33

_**I do not own any of the characters or the Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC) those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reull Tolkien, and without his genius, this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.**_

_**Please review! I love getting them-they keep me encouraged! J**_

The dwarves moved ahead a little bit until they found a good drift that had not been trampled, and got to work. Fili and Kili dug their blankets out of their packs and Cirashala sat off to the side along with Bilbo, the brother's blankets on Cirashala and Bilbo's blanket on himself.

Bilbo would have liked to help, but his hands were now so cold he would be surprised if he didn't catch frostbite by the end of the evening. The dwarves debated back and forth as they worked to pack the snow along the top and sides of their improvised "cave", before bringing a few torches into the mix to start freezing the walls.

Cirashala heard Bofur mention to Thorin that the ceiling would surely collapse under the weight of the snow if they didn't find some way to shore it up, and let out a sigh as her shoulders slumped.

_Of course, _she thought to herself with a grimace as her head dropped onto her knees. _Wet snow is so heavy, and our company is so big! Why didn't I think of that earlier? Probably because I am not a dwarf, hobbit, or miner. _

She looked up, noticing how the low doorway they had reminded her a bit of an igloo. Her eyes widened. She glanced down at the slightly loose snow at her feet, and reached out and began to shape the snow into tiny bricks no longer than her thumb. She made several of these "bricks" and began to stack them in a circle.

Bilbo watched her with confusion at first, but when she began to build her igloo his interest was piqued. As she stacked the bricks, tightening the circle bit by bit until the top was just a tiny circle and being sure to leave a space for the doorway, his eyes got bigger until a wide grin went across his face. They heard a shout and saw that Dwalin had been under the doorway when the ceiling finally fell down.

The burly dwarf was quickly dug up out of the snow, muttering curses as he glared in Cirashala's direction. Bofur argued with Gloin about how he had said they needed to shore up the ceiling, and Gloin argued back that it wasn't _his _idea to build a cavern out of snow in the first place. Cirashala withered a bit at the glares that came in her direction, and sunk lower into her blanket nest.

Bilbo looked between her and the now wet and angry dwarves, and laid a hand on her shoulder.

"What is that, exactly?" he asked, gesturing toward her igloo.

"It's called an igloo," she replied, choosing her words carefully so she didn't give away her secret. "It will need no shoring and should be big enough to hold us all, albeit tightly. Plus when a fire is lit, it will be warm." Bilbo looked at her in confusion.

"How can a house made of ice be warm?" he asked, and she shrugged.

"Not many ways for the heat to escape, and snow is a pretty good insulator," she replied. The hobbit nodded.

"Are you sure this won't need shoring?" he asked, and she nodded.

"I have known of people who lived where it was snowy most of the year, and this is how they build their homes in the winter," she replied. Of course, she was speaking of Eskimos, but she couldn't very well say that without Kili's theory of her weather induced insanity becoming more plausible. Bilbo nodded.

"Thorin!" the hobbit called over his shoulder, waving the dwarf king over.

"What is it?" the king asked grumpily, moving over toward them. He nearly stepped on her little igloo, and the hobbit stepped in front of him quickly to keep it from being smashed.

"Cirashala built something that might help solve our problem," Bilbo replied, pointing down to the tiny igloo. Thorin's eyebrow raised as he gave Bilbo an exasperated stare.

"Unless the company can magically shrink, I seriously doubt that will be of any use to us," he replied sarcastically, and Bofur behind him chuckled a bit.

"Aye, lad, we'd have to be wee little ants to fit in that," he added. Cirashala groaned and put her palm on her forehead.

"It's a smaller model," she replied testily, glaring at Bofur. "I didn't think even my _foot _will fit in there, let alone the whole company!" Bofur hummed and squatted down in front of the little igloo.

"Snow bricks, eh?" he muttered to himself, moving toward the side to get a better look at the door. He glanced up at Cirashala.

"You say it's hollow inside?" he asked her, and she nodded.

"I have heard of people who live where there is lots of snow and ice most of the year, and this is how they build their homes," she replied. "They stack the bricks with each row just slightly over the last, and they don't need wood to shore it up, since where they live there are no forests because it is too cold."

"And where is this?" Thorin asked her skeptically, eyebrow raised.

_Please don't let them figure it out, _she thought to herself, before replying, "Up in the far north." Thorin exchanged glances with Balin.

"We have never heard of such dwellings," the elder dwarf replied, eyeing her curiously. Cirashala could feel her heart begin to pound, when Bofur stood up and nodded.

"Aye, that would work," he replied, turning toward Thorin. "We dig out the bottom, shore up the sides, and then build the roof like this here ice house. Shouldn't need shoring if done right." Thorin glanced at her again, before turning and barking orders at the company. Several of the company members began to fashion sturdy bricks of snow, while the rest of them worked on digging out and fashioning the base.

_That was close, _Cirashala thought to herself. _I need to shut up before I spill my secret, or I will ruin everything._

Cirashala let out the breath she was holding, and with one final sigh stepped out of the blankets and began to move toward the group.

XXX

She dropped to her knees and, after a quick glance at the dwarves, began to fashion a snow brick that was as close in size to what they were doing as she could figure.

She glanced up when she saw movement out of the corner of her eye, and watched as Balin knelt down and began to help her with her brick. She refused to make eye contact with the old dwarf, focusing on her hands as they scooped and patted snow.

"Ice houses?" Balin asked her, and she felt her face flush.

"It's what I have heard," she replied quietly, hoping the older dwarf wouldn't ask more questions. Balin hummed as he scooped more, not taking his eyes off of her.

"You aren't a very good liar, lass," he said softly so the others wouldn't hear, and her head shot up, eyes wide with fright. She looked about ready to bolt, and Balin held up his hand. He glanced over at Thorin, who was busy helping Dwalin place a brick on the now two bricks high circle, before looking back at her.

"Where are you from, lassie?" the old dwarf asked, and she swallowed heavily as she looked down.

"It doesn't matter," she said quietly. "It's gone- all of it." She was trembling and fighting tears, and Balin saw it. He reached out and placed his hand under her chin, lifting her head up so she would look at him.

"You're grieving your family far more than you let on," he said with a knowing look. She glanced fearfully at Thorin, before looking back at the kind dwarf and nodding slightly.

"P-please don't tell Thorin," she whispered, "I-I swore I wouldn't let it hinder me." Balin could see the fear in her eyes, and he sighed.

"Thing is, you have," he replied gently. "That is why you make reckless decisions, and seem to care little for your own well-being." Tears welled up in her eyes, but she brushed them quickly away, sniffing slightly.

"I-I don't know how I can live without them, without him," she replied, her voice wavering as the grief she had buried became raw again. "They-they _were_ my world." She looked at Balin, tears filling up her eyes.

"They-they were just _babies_- only 1 and 4. And, if only I had been paying attention more as I drove, that drunk wouldn't have h-hit us, and….I wish_ I_ had died instead of them….I…." Her hand flew over her mouth as she choked down a sob, and she quickly wiped her tears away as she fought for composure.

The old dwarf's eyes softened, and he placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him, wiping her nose with the back of her hand as her eyes refused to meet his.

"I am sorry for being so weak," she whispered. "I-I'm just trying to help." She quickly resumed packing down the last of the snow, and Balin shook his head in wonder.

_She is trying so hard to be strong, _he thought. _And yet she is breaking inside. _

They finished that brick, and Balin called Fili and Kili over. The two set down the brick they had just placed on the halfway done wall and approached the two.

"Lads, take this one and set it on the wall," Balin ordered, and the two immediately did as asked. The elder dwarf turned toward the young woman, smiling.

"You are not weak, lassie," he said softly as he patted her shoulder. "You are far stronger than you know."

XXX

The igloo was quickly taking shape. There were only a few rows left, and the dwarves had moved inside the structure to place the last three rows on from the inside. Several on the outside grabbed handfuls of snow to block what few gaps there were, and took a torch to the outside to aid in making a layer of ice to protect it.

Fili knelt on all fours as his lighter brother stood on top of him, using his brother as a stool to finish the last layer. He looked up at the small hole above, then at the snow brick in his hand.

"How am I supposed to block the hole?" he asked, and Bofur shook his head.

"You need to keep that hole there to let out the smoke from the fire," the miner stated, and Kili nodded. He glanced down at his brother, and then at the block of snow, smirking.

Fili glanced up just as Kili raised the brick, seeing the glint in his brother's eye.

"Don't you da—" Kili fell off of his elder brother with a yelp as Fili jumped out from under him, causing the younger to land in an undignified heap, the snow brick smacking him right on the chest.

Several of the dwarves laughed as Kili spit out the mouthful of snow and sat up, glaring at Fili. The blonde dwarf smirked.

"You forget- I taught you everything you knew, little brother," he said with a wink. Kili glared and got up with a huff, brushing the chunks of snow off of him. Thorin eyed their shelter, noting that the roof seemed to be holding up, and that the body heat emanating off the dwarves was already warming up the enclosed space.

"Gloin, get a fire going," he ordered. "Bombur, get supper. The rest of you, get your packs. We will shelter here tonight."

The dwarves who were inside the sunken igloo moved out and gathered their things, which by now had over two inches of snow on them. Thorin approached Cirashala and Bilbo, who had huddled again under their blankets once the bricks had been finished, neither having the strength to maneuver them.

"Get inside the shelter," he ordered, before glancing at Cirashala. She swallowed nervously, and looked up at the dwarf king. He inclined his head at her, then turned around to gather his things without another word, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

She stood up and shook out the brother's blankets, before moving toward the low door and crawling down into their shelter.

XXX

The company glanced around their strange shelter as they laid out their bedrolls. Several still looked a bit skeptically at their domed white roof, expecting it to collapse, but as the heat from the fire began to warm the cozy shelter, they gradually began to relax.

They hadn't been willing to try and tempt gravity, so the shelter ended up being very cramped. Most of them were sitting on folded in half bedrolls with their backs against the walls, and Bombur had so much difficulty trying to maneuver around the fire without running into the others that Bilbo stepped in and offered to finish supper. The rotund dwarf handed his ladle over to the small hobbit gladly, before perching on his bedroll, much to the relief of the rest of the company.

Cirashala was sitting with her knees drawn up between Fili and Kili, watching as Oin unwrapped Bofur's head wound and proceeded to examine it. He looked at Bofur's eyes, shielding them from the light and drawing his hand away, and frowned.

"Looks like you have a concussion, laddie," Oin declared, and Bofur rolled his eyes. He gestured over his shoulder toward Bifur, who was on the other side of him.

"So? _He_ has an axe to the head," Bofur replied. "Isn't slowing him down." Oin scowled as he rewrapped the miner's head, chiding him about his apparent lack of seriousness regarding his injury and reminding him that his cousin was _very _lucky to be alive at all. To which Bofur candidly replied, "Yes, mother." As he rolled his eyes.

Several of the dwarves snickered, and Oin glared at him before smacking the errant dwarf on a large bruise on his arm. The healer sat down smugly on his bedroll as curses emanated from the usually cheerful dwarf, who had replaced his mischievous look with a glare aimed in the healer's direction as he gripped his arm.

"'Tis only a bruise," the healer retorted, "It shouldn't slow ye down." Bofur stopped cursing and shot the healer a death glare, but didn't protest further.

Fili and Kili chuckled, and Fili pulled out one of the knives from his bracer and began to sharpen it as Kili pulled out his pipe. Just as he went to light it, he felt Cirashala tense beside him. He looked at her, noticing her staring at his pipe.

"Do you have yours?" he asked her quietly. She shook her head. Kili looked at it for a second, before holding it towards her.

"Y-you can have it, if you'd like," he said, flushing slightly. It got a bit quiet as Bofur and Bilbo, the two nearest them, stopped their conversation and eyed the two curiously.

"I-it's all right," she replied. "It's not something I…ever wanted to try. Women don't use pipes, at least from what I know." Kili's eyes widened and he pulled it quickly away from her, settling his hands in his lap.

"S-sorry," he stammered, cheeks flushing redder. "I-I didn't know. I-I thought that's why you were staring at it." She shook her head.

"I-I'm just not used to being around them," she whispered. Kili's eyes widened, and he went to dump it. She immediately reached out her hand to grasp his before he could. The young dwarf froze, swallowing as his eyes met hers. They now had nearly everyone's attention.

"I didn't say you couldn't," she said, removing her hand, and Gloin huffed.

"And we wouldn't listen to you if you did," he said, glaring at her. "Ain't none of your business how we spend our time." He looked pointedly at Kili.

"You shouldn't let a human girl tell you what to do, lad," he said, casting a cold glance at her. "Just because she's weak and can't handle pipeweed smoke doesn't mean you can't enjoy life's comforts."

"She didn't tell him what to do," Fili growled, glaring at Gloin. "My brother was just trying to be respectful of someone who isn't used to our customs." Gloin glared back.

"_She's_ the one who asked to join _us_," he replied. "She shouldn't have done it if she thought us vulgar and uncouth." He drew in a full mouthful of his pipe, before blowing it directly towards her, causing her to cough and her eyes to water.

"That's what you think of us, isn't it, girl?" he continued. "That we are just homeless greedy beggars with no manners who are only good for forging _your_ horseshoes and cleaning up after _your_ animals? I've seen how you humans look at us! You believe us to be beneath you! And when any of _your _people commit a crime, we get blamed for it! We are nothing but halfwitted heathens to you!"

Fili and Kili went to jump up, but she grabbed both their shoulders, before standing to her feet. Around the fire, several of the dwarves who had begun to accept her glared daggers at Gloin, but he didn't heed them.

Her eyes sparked fire at the red haired dwarf, but she said nothing, fists clenched at her sides. Gloin stood up as well, hand on the hilt of his axe. She heard Fili and Kili stand up behind her, and Kili placed his hand on her shoulder just to have it shrugged angrily off. The two glared at each other for a second or two, when Gloin spoke again.

"Do you have something you wish to tell me, _human_?" the dwarf sneered. The tension hung thick in the room as the company waited to see what she would do. Balin eyed the girl, and noticed her light blue eyes had changed to steel gray. But when she spoke, her voice remained even and low.

"If I have ever done or said any of those things against you, then I am the one lacking in manners, and I apologize," she said slowly, her voice edged with steel as she nodded at the dwarf. "I would also apologize for my race, but unfortunately it is not within _my_ power to control the words and deeds of others._ I_ would not dare to treat _anyone_ that way, regardless of what or who they are. I am truly sorry for what other humans have done to you." With that, she sat back down, drawing her knees up again to keep her feet out of reach of the sparks from the fire.

"Do what you wish," she continued. "It is not my place to tell anyone what to do. Never was." With that, she laid down on her bedroll and curled up into a tight ball, and closed her eyes.

XXX

The dwarves stared at her in astonishment. It had been clear that Gloin's comments angered her, but she had held her temper in check with a control they couldn't understand.

Gloin sat back down, eyeing her suspiciously as he drew on his pipe. Several minutes passed in silence, the dwarves busying their hands with sharpening tools. Bofur grunted, shooting a glare at Gloin before sitting in the doorway. He continued to puff on his pipe, being sure to blow the smoky air outside the doorway.

Fili and Kili had both emptied their pipe's contents into the fire, Kili's still unlit, before settling them back in their packs. Balin saw them, and winked at the two heirs. He looked toward Cirashala's form, her breathing even, before turning to Gloin.

"You should not be questioning the lass's manners, Gloin," he said, his voice quiet but firm as he glared at his cousin. "If anything, _your _manners should be called into question. I cannot believe how rude you were to blow the smoke in her face when she had said she wasn't used to it!"

"All humans think the same about us," Gloin retorted. "Don't tell me you haven't heard them in the marketplaces and in Dunland! And I seem to recall _you _receiving your fair share of floggings by humans for stealing things you never even saw!" Kili scoffed openly.

"She has been nothing except kind to us!" the young dwarf stated, staring at his cousin. "She saved my life, she saved Fili's, she rescued Bofur, and if it weren't for her, we would be sitting in the middle of a blizzard right now!" Gloin huffed.

"She's after the gold," he retorted. "She thinks that if she's nice, we will reward her for her help!"

"She didn't want any gold!" Fili countered. "She said so herself when she swore loyalty to Thorin!"

"And do you really believe that?" Gloin asked, regarding Fili as one would an errant child. "No human would ever help a dwarf, unless there was something in it for them." The heirs bristled, and Kili opened his mouth to retort, but Thorin spoke first.

"Enough!" he growled, eyes roaming over the group. "We are all tired. We best get some sleep, as we have a long day tomorrow. And rest assured, she won't be getting any gold from our quest. I said we would see her as far as Laketown, and that is where she and our company part ways." He glared at the company, and those who were not on watch settled down and curled up as best they could to sleep in the tight quarters.


	34. Chapter 34

_**I do not own any of the characters or the Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC) those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reull Tolkien, and without his genius, this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.**_

_**Please review! I love getting them-they keep me encouraged! J**_

Kili tried to curl up away from Cirashala, not wanting an embarrassing repeat of that morning. He could hear quite a few shuffles and grumbles, and turned his head as Fili sat up with annoyance clouding his features. He began to rifle in his pack until he had pulled out his spare tunic, and took off his jerkin.

"What are you doing?" Kili mumbled, sitting up as well. His damp tunic felt clammy and cold on his skin, and he noticed that several of the other dwarves had sat up as were rifling through their packs as well.

The fire had been put out due to lack of space, and after tossing the charred remains out into the snow, the dwarves had placed a lantern in the middle of the floor in order to make more space. It's glow reflected off the white walls, giving them enough light to see fairly clearly without being as bright as daylight. Kili could see his brother's annoyed expression quite well as the elder looked at him.

"Changing my tunic," he grumbled. "Can't sleep in this wet one." Kili's eyes widened as he glanced at the sleeping girl between them.

"B-but Fili, there's a girl in here!" he hissed, causing several of the dwarves to glance her way cautiously as they remembered their newest companion. Fili rolled his eyes.

"She's asleep," he said as his fingers resumed their task of unlacing the front of his burnt red tunic. "It's not like she will see anything."

"No 'm not," her muffled voice sounded under her blanket, and the dwarves' heads whipped towards her. Fili's eyes grew as wide as saucers as he pulled the two sides of his tunic together, face flushing in embarrassment as Kili fought the urge to snicker at his brother's discomfort.

She sat up, squinting in the light, before grabbing her thin blanket and began to stand.

"Don't worry, I'll step outside," she mumbled sleepily, eyes on the floor. "It's not like I could sleep with you all arguing anyway." She wrapped the blanket around her as she made her way toward the door, trying to step carefully between the rows of boots that met each other in the middle. She reached the doorway, and ducked down to crawl out, having to push some snow out of the way as it had begun to drift toward the door.

The startled dwarves looked at the doorway she had just exited, eyes wide as several flushed with embarrassment at being caught in the act of changing by a young woman. Balin was the first to break the silence.

"Well, best hurry up and get yourselves changed lads," the old dwarf said with a chuckle, reaching for his own bag. "We don't want the poor girl freezing to death outside waiting for us to get decent!" It seemed to have the desired effect, because the dwarves busied themselves with changing quickly. Even those who had not been changing before due to her presence decided to do so since the opportunity presented itself.

Kili reached toward his bag, before remembering that she had his spare tunic. He sat back and fiddled with the edge of his damp tunic, wishing he had thought to bring a third one. Of course, none of them had expected to encounter a poorly dressed companion, so at the time two had seemed sufficient enough.

Fili laced up his dry tunic, before eyeing Kili with confusion.

"Brother, why aren't you changing?" he asked, gesturing toward Kili's pack. "Your tunic is as damp as any of ours." Kili shrugged.

"She is wearing my spare, remember?" he replied, and Fili paused, glancing down at his warm tunic for a moment, before beginning to unlace it. Kili reached his hand over and placed it over Fili's, stilling his hands.

"You don't need to give me yours, brother," the young dwarf said, and Fili shook his head.

"Your tunic is wetter than mine," he replied stubbornly, and Kili shook his head.

"You are more annoyed with being damp than I," he argued back, and just as Fili opened his mouth to retort, a dark blue tunic flew past his shoulder to hit Kili smack in the face. The startled dwarf looked down in confusion, recognizing the tunic in his lap to be Thorin's. They looked over at their uncle in surprise, who had his arms crossed in front of him as he sat on his bedroll.

"Both of you, get dry things on and go to sleep," he muttered gruffly, before laying back down. Kili glanced down at the bundle in his arms, then back up at his uncle, before hastily undoing the laces on his tunic.

XXX

Cirashala huddled in the corner between the doorway and the wall of the igloo, shivering. The wind whipped her loose hair in all directions, and the two small braids on either side of her face were quickly becoming unraveled. She adjusted the blanket so it went over her head and drew her knees up to her chest in order to keep what little heat she had from escaping.

She thought about what the dwarves had said, about how they suspected her of being after the gold. While it wasn't like she didn't need something in order to set up a new life here in Middle-earth after she reached Laketown, she really didn't need much, and wouldn't even _think _about taking any of the dwarves' gold. That gold belonged to them and part of it to Bard as the heir of Dale, and she would not take even one gold piece or jewel from that horde.

She shook her head as her chin rested on her knees.

_Why can't the dwarves just accept that I am genuinely trying to help them? _She thought to herself, feeling more and more discouraged. _They are convinced that no one will help them unless they can get something out of it. _

She thought about what Gloin had said- about how the world of Men treated the dwarves. She remembered points in her country's history where racism was rampant, and even in the current times, when she befriended a Latina girl even though the white students in the school she was in at the time didn't mingle or hang around the Latinos and Latinas. She had known some Spanish, and had aided the girl in a class as best she could when the girl couldn't understand the teacher.

While she had been the subject of bullying for her many differences- being a new student all the time, having hand-me-down clothing that was far out of style, having glasses and at one point braces, and being naturally shy, she had never dealt with actual racism being directed towards her before. It was a humbling experience, and she appreciated the efforts that minorities had taken in order to be treated equally. She supposed there was what she had heard termed "reverse racism" where those who were minorities returned the racism towards Caucasians in kind, but she had been fortunate to live in many areas that hadn't had that problem.

She had always been taught that everyone was the same, regardless of who (or in this case, what) they were, and to always look at a person's heart to judge their character, not at the outside. It wasn't always easy, for many people wore "masks" to hide their true nature, and she had been fooled on occasion to devastating consequences. She had her share of friends that had feigned friendship, only to turn around and with horrible words and actions stabbed her in the back. And she had learn to wear a mask of her own- the mask of indifference. She let few in, and even then had often held her at arm's length.

Her husband had looked beyond that mask when they met, and accepted her for who she was. Where others had scorned everything about her- from what she looked like to how she sang or played her fiddle, and her husband had loved all of it. She hadn't sung a single note since her husband died, and her grief was still so raw that she wouldn't dare allow a tune to pass her lips. Her violin had not been picked up, and all those things she had loved doing had died. In their place was grief, for the one person who had looked beyond the mask and accepted it was gone, along with her two daughters.

Now, because of her hurt and also because of the secret she bore- the knowledge of the Quest and of the events that happen many decades after- she had to wear the mask again. She didn't like hiding it, but she knew that if they were to find out the events that were supposed to happen in their future, any attempts to change it could result in even worse fates, and would undoubtedly affect the fates that must align up for the War of the Ring to be successful.

In that moment, she felt very small and alone, and the words she had heard seemed to clarify one thing- it didn't matter what she did, she would always be nothing more than a human to the dwarves. And unless she could magically change her race, she felt that nothing would ever change that.

She only hoped that someone would come and let her know it was all right to go back into the shelter before she froze to death.

XXX

Once everyone had gotten decent and settled down, Bilbo offered to go get Cirashala. His brow was furrowed with concern as he realized just how long it had taken the dwarves to change, and hoped that she wasn't half frozen. He went to crawl through the door, but stopped short with a cry.

"We're snowed in!" he called over his shoulder as he pushed on the snow blocking his way to no avail. Fili and Kili's head snapped up, eyes wide, before the two jumped over the dwarves blocking their path, earning several curses as they accidentally stepped on several legs and boots.

Bilbo moved out of the doorway as the two came up from behind him, and Kili crawled through first, pawing at the snow and handing it back to Fili, who piled it off to the side. Balin stood behind the three along with Bofur, both dwarves looking concerned as their gaze drifted from the doorway to the small hole in the roof, hearing the wind blowing hard outside.

It took Kili about five minutes to dig a hole big enough for him to fit through, and before Fili or Thorin could stop him he squeezed out, hoping that they weren't too late.

XXX

As Cirashala's thoughts consumed her, her head began to tilt toward the side and her eyes became very heavy. She struggled to keep them open, blinking rapidly for a second or two before her head tilted again, and each time her eyes stayed closed longer and longer.

_Why am I getting warm? _She thought to herself, _I should be cold. _

The last thing she remembered was a slight thump as she slumped into the side of the shelter.

XXX

Kili stood up, peering into the swirling snow. It had gotten a good two feet deeper since they had gone into their shelter, and any tracks she might have left had disappeared in the thick snow.

He shivered from the cold, glad he had grabbed his coat. He walked toward the right of the doorway, making sure he kept his hand on the igloo so as to not lose it in the storm. He had experienced whiteouts before back in the Blue Mountains, but nothing like this.

The swirling snow was so thick he was covered in it within seconds. His hair whipped around his face so fast that it stung when it made contact. He followed the shelter around quickly until he was on the other side, seeing so sign or shadow of the girl.

He had just begun to grow really worried, when his boot thumped against something under a drift of snow. He knelt down beside the huddle on the left side of the doorway, and brushed his hand against it, feeling fabric underneath. He gasped, and quickly brushed the rest of the snow off of her.

He removed his cloak, not caring about wet tunics anymore, and wrapped it around the cold girl. He picked her up, pulling her close to him, and was relieved to feel warm breath against his neck. He stumbled a bit as he stood up, turning to find his brother now beside him.

Fili wrapped his arm around his brother's shoulders and all but pushed the two down the slight slope they had dug into the shelter.

XXX

Cirashala could hear voices around her, but they sounded foggy and far away. She slowly became aware that she was shivering violently, and that her hands and feet were tingling. She was also aware of a steady thump-thump in her ear, and the slight sound of a crackling fire.

Her eyes fluttered open, but she couldn't see much beyond the blanket that was nestled right up to her eye, dipping just enough to not cover her nose and mouth. Her brow creased in bewilderment as she felt her face rising up and down. A slight whimper escaped her as a twinge of pain from her icy hands shot up her arm, and the up and down movement stilled for a moment.

"She's waking up," Kili's voice reverberated by her face, though it sounded far away, and she tried to look up, her forehead brushing soft stubble as it came in contact with his chin.

The blanket was pushed down a bit, revealing Oin's concerned face. She was vaguely aware of someone rubbing her bare feet vigorously, and could see her lower legs in Fili's lap as the blond haired dwarf moved his hands over her very red feet, looking at her with concern.

"How are ye, lass?" Oin asked her. "Warming up yet?" She took a deep breath, and nodded slowly.

"What happened?" she asked quietly, her voice a bit raspy. Oin sighed.

"It seems you fell asleep outside waiting for us to change," he said. "Don't you know it's dangerous to fall asleep in a snowstorm?" She ducked her head in shame.

"I-I tried to stay awake, I really did," she mumbled, and the healer looked confused until Bofur hollered what she had said at the deaf dwarf, and advised him that he probably should keep his ear trumpet handy if he wished to hear anything at all. "I'm just so tired."

"Why didn't you say anything about these blisters?" Fili asked, and she tried to sit up to see what he was talking about, only to realize that both her and Kili seemed to have over a dozen blankets around the two of them. She realized quickly enough that he was talking about the blisters on her feet when he had to move his fingers around one to avoid rubbing it as he tried to get blood flow back to her half frozen feet.

"It's not important," she replied. "Why am I in Kili's lap?" She could feel the young dwarf's heartbeat quicken at her question as his breath hitched in his throat.

"Because the lad went the wrong direction looking for you and nearly froze himself after he wrapped you in his coat," Balin explained. "We needed to wrap the both of you in our blankets to get you both warm. It is cold enough outside to freeze meat." Her eyes widened, and she tried to shuffle away.

"I-I don't….you can have your blankets….I'll be fine, I—" Balin held up his hand.

"None of that now, lass," he said sternly. "You left a warm shelter so we could change into dry clothes, something you need to do as well." Her eyes widened to saucers.

"I won't make all of you go out there!" she cried out, and Balin looked at the company around him.

"Then we will turn around," he said simply, his expression daring the others to challenge him. Thorin sighed and motioned to Dwalin, and the two grabbed one of the blankets and used Fili's twin daggers to pin the top two corners of the blanket to the back of the igloo's wall.

"Change behind there," Thorin ordered, turning around to face her. She nodded, and went to get up, but hissed as her feet made contact with the snow beneath her feet.

"Here," Fili said, handing her socks and boots to her. She put them on quickly, and grabbed her pack, going behind the blanket to change. She could hear shuffling as the company grabbed their blankets back and laid their bedrolls back out, and when her dry tunic was back on, she stepped out from behind the blanket.

She stepped up to Kili, who looked up at her from laying his coat on the floor to use as a sleeping surface. She handed him his spare tunic, still quite damp from outside, and looked down.

"Thank you," she whispered, before laying her damp tunic out along with the others to dry by the fire. She almost didn't hear his response, it was spoken so softly.

"You're welcome, milady."

XXX

They all lay down to sleep, everyone finally in dry things, and as was the case from the night before, Cirashala was between the two young heirs. Instead of trying to avoid her like before, they both scooted as close as they could to her to try and warm her still shivering form. She scooted down just a bit so that she could breathe more comfortably, never having been able to face someone who was sleeping next to her.

She glanced upward at Kili, and was struck by how much he looked like her husband. His dark eyebrows were almost exactly the same, as was the large brownish hazel eyes, and his hair color. Her husband's hair had been far shorter, but when he briefly had bangs he had looked very similar. And though her husband did not have a beard, when he went without shaving for a few days, his ghost of a beard was slightly reminiscent of Kili's.

A pain flitted through her heart at the thought, and she wondered how on earth she was going to be able to go on this quest with a constant reminder of her dead husband walking near her.

She was really confused as to why he had referred to her as milady. She had no title, she had no birthright. She did not understand why he would say such a thing, but as the grueling events of the day caught up with her, she found her thoughts drifting away to sleep.

_I will deal with the "milady" tomorrow_, she thought to herself as warm sleep claimed her.


	35. Chapter 35

_**I do not own any of the characters or the Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC) those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reull Tolkien, and without his genius, this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.**_

_**Please review! I love getting them-they keep me encouraged! J**_

The next morning, the sunlight shone through the hole in the roof, illuminating the young trio sleeping peacefully.

Sometime during the night, the three of them had nestled very close to each other, no doubt for warmth. Their limbs tangled as three different colors of hair intermingled on Cirashala's pack, which had served as a makeshift pillow.

Cirashala blinked, her eyes fluttering open as she squinted in the bright morning light. She groaned a bit as she wiggled her still tender fingers and toes. She had been very lucky, indeed, according to Oin, because had she been out in the cold any longer she surely would have gotten frostbite.

She heard the fire crackling, and tilted her head slightly to see Bombur preparing breakfast. The rotund dwarf looked up at her and grinned.

"Morning, lass," he said quietly so as to not wake the other members of the company. "How are you feeling?" She managed to disentangle her hand from where it had been stuck under her pack and rubbed her eyes, yawning.

"Fine," she mumbled. She tried to move, but quickly realized that the two brothers had her in a vice like grip, and couldn't move hardly at all, let alone get up. Her head dropped back down with a sigh.

"They have a right good hold on ye," Bofur chuckled as he stood to his feet, having just come in after being outside. He brushed the snow off of his knees.

"Looks like the weather has cleared," he said to Bombur, who had just put some bacon on the skillet, causing sizzling sounds to emanate from the black pan. "But there's a good three feet of snow out there. Seems like the mountain is confused as to what season it is." Bombur shook his head as Bofur sat opposite him and held his hands over the small fire.

"The Misty Mountains are never kind to travelers, you know that" the round dwarf replied, before glancing at Cirashala.

"Those two lads have sure taken a liking to ya," he said, winking. "Seems they have decided you are their friend. Good judge of character, they are."

"Aye," Balin agreed, sitting up and stretching his arms. The kind dwarf smiled warmly at Cirashala. "They have more sense than the rest of us old dwarves, it seems." He stood up, stretching a bit more, before heading outside, winking at her as he passed by.

She sighed and laid her head back down. She was quite annoyed by the fact that she could not sleep in anything but darkness, and would have very much liked to go back to sleep had she been able to. To make matters worse, she needed to visit outside, and could not figure out how to get two unconscious and dead weight dwarves off of her.

Balin returned after a few minutes, and glanced at her as he brushed the snow off of himself. He noticed her attempt to move, and fail again. A twinkle entered his eyes as he glanced at the two sleeping dwarves, and he smirked.

"Do you need some help getting up, lassie?" he asked her, kneeling down beside the trio. She nodded, glancing at each of the brothers.

"They are too heavy," she replied. "Fili's arm has my waist in a death grip, Kili's hugging my arm so tightly that my fingers are going numb, and they pinned my legs. I can't get them off without waking them." Balin chuckled.

"There are other ways of waking them up, lass," he said with a smirk. Her eyebrow raised.

"And is this other way going to get me in trouble?" she asked, and Balin grinned.

"I don't think so," he replied, his grin getting wider. "You see, I helped raise these two, and I happen to know that they are both quite ticklish." Her eyes widened comically.

"You have got to be joking," she replied. "If you think I would even _dare_ to—" The three dwarves awake chuckled as a loud growl sounded from her stomach.

"Well, you can either wait for them to wake up to eat," Bofur said, grinning, "Or let them sleep while the rest of us eat. The two of them hardly ever wake up on their own." She groaned as the smell of freshly cooked bacon and biscuits wafted to her, before the words from last night came back to her, and she eyed Balin suspiciously.

"How can I be sure I trust you?" she replied, eyes narrowing. "You dwarves do not trust me as far as you can throw me." The grin left Balin's face and his eyes widened in surprise as the other two dwarves stiffened. Her heart was pounding as she spoke, for she felt absolutely certain that the conversation she overheard last night was not meant for her ears at all.

"You all made it very clear last night that you cannot trust me. You do not believe me to be willing to help you unless I can get something out of it," she continued, and Balin could hear the slight twinge of hurt in her voice. He held up his hand.

"Lass, we didn't mean—" he began, but she cut him off.

"Forget it," she said, closing her eyes and taking a shuddering breath. "I am genuinely trying to help you. I expect no reward, nor will I ask for one. If you don't believe that, then I am sorry for it. But maybe when we reach Laketown you will finally believe me. But know that I will honor the agreement I made- we part ways in Laketown, and until then, I will not tickle anyone or prank anyone or give you any other reason to distrust me. I think my being human is enough." She yanked her arm roughly out of Kili's, who woke with a startle and slight confusion on his face.

"Wha…" he mumbled, and his eyes widened as she shoved his leg roughly off of hers. At that, Fili woke too, both of them sitting up confused.

"Cirashala, what's the matter?" Fili's sleepy voice asked her as he rubbed his eyes. She didn't answer as she stood up, not meeting anyone's eyes as tears threatened to fall. She stepped around Balin, before ducking out the door, leaving five very bewildered dwarves behind her.

XXX

She swiped the tears off her face angrily, tramping through the snow as best she could to find somewhere she could take care of her business.

The tears ran freely down her cheeks, and she kicked a tuft of snow that was in the path that Bofur had beaten down that morning. She sniffled as her nose ran, and held her arms close to her, having forgotten her cloak in her haste.

"Stubborn dwarves," she choked out. "Always suspicious of everything, and never being willing to give anyone a chance!" She saw a large boulder ahead, and the path wound around it. No doubt was in her mind that behind it was what the company were using to relieve themselves.

She had been so preoccupied with her thoughts she hadn't noticed Ori, who was returning from his morning errand, and the two ran smack into each other just as Cirashala had been going to turn off the path and take a detour around the other side of the rock.

She fell backward into the snow, effectively sitting in it, and the scribe's eyes widened.

"Cirashala, I am so sorry!" he said, reaching an arm out to grab her wrist and pull her back up out of the deep snow. He noticed the tears on her face and froze.

"What's wrong?" he asked her, and she flushed in embarrassment as she hastily wiped them away.

"Nothing," she snapped, and Ori stepped back, holding up his hands.

"Sorry," he replied quickly. "You just seemed upset." The startled and apologetic look on the dwarf's face was so genuine that Cirashala sighed and ducked her head.

"Why did you join the company?" she asked quietly, and Ori's expression turned from apologetic to confused. "Was it only because you wanted some of the gold?" The quiet dwarf's eyes widened, realizing that she had overheard the conversation last night.

"If this is about what Gloin said, know that not all of us think that," he replied quickly. "I didn't join the company for the gold, although I will admit the thought of having a part of the treasure is tempting. I joined because I wanted to chronicle the journey, and I wanted adventure. Not only that, but I am loyal to Thorin, and he needed help." She looked downward and bit her lip.

"Then why does everyone seem to think that's all I want?" she asked him, and he saw hurt in her expression. "Not everyone desires gold, and I have never mistreated any dwarf." Ori shuffled, clearly uncomfortable, and she shook her head.

"I am sorry," she apologized quickly. "I should not have—" Ori held up his hand.

"Gloin wasn't sure about my coming along either," he said, earning a surprised look. "He, er, said that my choice of _weapon_ was not exactly indicative of being a warrior, and that gentlefolk who can't fight or defend themselves should stay home where it is safe." Her eyes widened, before her brow furrowed in confusion.

"But a slingshot can take down many things," she replied, and Ori chuckled.

"Aye, I think so too," he replied. "But unfortunately, Orc and warg skulls are too thick for stones."

"So are dwarves," she muttered before she could stop herself, and turned bright red as her hand flew to her mouth, her eyes wide with shock. Ori laughed.

"Aye, they sure are," he said, chuckling. "And Gloin's is the thickest." He smiled warmly.

"Don't you be minding what they think," the scribe said. "You are not like other humans we have encountered. I should know- I wrote all about the irritating ones in my journal." He winked at her, and she gave him a grateful look.

"Thank you," she replied, before biting her lip nervously, hoping she wasn't overstepping bounds. "D-did you draw things in your journal, too?" Ori's face lit up, and he nodded.

"Aye, I have," he said. "I haven't traveled much, either, and so I have drawn as much as I could. Would you like to see them?" She nodded, before eying the rock.

"Perhaps after I get back in the shelter," she said, and Ori nodded.

"Would you like me to keep watch so the others don't bother you?" he asked. "I will stay on this side of the rock and I won't look, I swear."

"Yes, I-I mean, if-if you don't mind," she stuttered. "I-I would appreciate it." After her little seat in the snow, she wasn't too sure about the idea of beating another path.

"I don't mind," Ori nodded. "You are a lady, after all, and need your privacy."

"Thank you, Ori," she replied. "I don't know why Gloin says that I would think dwarves have no manners, because you definitely do." The dwarf flushed a bit at the praise.

"Best get going," he said. "Smells like breakfast is nearly done."

She nodded and disappeared behind the rock.

XXX

The company looked up as Cirashala came back in after Ori, and Bofur passed her a bowl with bacon, biscuits, and some dried fruit in it, not meeting her eyes. While she had heard some talking going on before she entered the door, now the room was strangely silent.

She looked for a place to sit down, before moving between Fili and Kili. The two young dwarves looked at her with trepidation, scooting a bit away from her as she sat down. She began to eat slowly, feeling more and more uncomfortable at the pressing silence.

XXX

They finished eating quickly, and packed up their things before heading out. Dwalin, Fili, and Bofur took a few minutes to destroy their shelter with their war hammers and mattock so as to not leave a large indication that they had been there.

The company soon set off, and Cirashala noticed that whenever she neared anyone, what low conversations they had would cease. The two heirs walked near her as usual, but they didn't make eye contact.

She finally made her way to Bilbo, hoping that the hobbit would give her some answers as to why no one was speaking to her or around her.

"Bilbo," she said quietly. The hobbit looked up at her, and his eyes widened as he moved a bit away from her. An expression of hurt crossed her features.

"Bilbo, please," she said quickly, her tone pleading. The hobbit stopped, before looking at her guiltily.

"Why is no one talking to me or around me?" she asked, and the hobbit gulped, before ducking his head.

"Because you heard what they said last night when you weren't supposed to," he replied. "As far as Fili, Kili, Bofur, Bombur and Balin, they are hurt that you think they don't trust you, and Fili and Kili are also convinced they made you angry." She looked down with a sad expression.

"I am not angry," she said, hurt in her tone. "I just reacted badly to the accusations made last night. As for eavesdropping, I didn't mean to, I swear!" Bilbo placed his hand on her arm.

"I know that," he said, and she gave him a flat look.

"Then why are _you_ avoiding me?" she asked, and the hobbit turned crimson as he refused to meet her eyes.

"Er, well," he said, clearing his throat. "After what you said to Balin, I…well, I thought…" he trailed off, shuffling.

"You thought what?" she asked, and Bilbo gulped.

"I….I thought you were having, well…." He gulped again, turning even redder. "My father always told me to never ire a woman when she was having, well….her _time_." If poor Bilbo could have disappeared, she was quite confident he would have done so, and was rather glad he didn't have the ring yet. Her eyes widened and her mouth gaped open.

"Um, _no_," she finally said slowly, shaking her head as her face turned crimson as well. Bilbo gulped again.

"Well, we had better get going, don't want to be late-never late," he said in a rush, before hurrying away from her as quickly as he could. She stared after him, eyes wide as she blinked stupidly.

_Well, that explains a lot_, she thought to herself._ If the others came to that conclusion, no wonder they are avoiding me. Dwarrow women must be absolutely terrifying indeed at that time._

She hadn't yelled at Balin at all, or even snapped really, and was rather surprised if he had come to that conclusion as well. She had a feeling when it came to the dwarves that it was more that she had heard words not meant for her ears. She continued on through the snow, shivering as a gust of wind blew against her.

_You really made a mess of things now_, she thought to herself. _You may have just lost the few friends you had._

XXX

The company passed under an overhanging of rock. Icicles glinted in the morning light, some reaching as far down as the ground while others ended in a sharp point.

Kili saw Cirashala shiver ahead of him, and sighed. He glanced over at his brother, and signed to him.

_Do you think she is still angry with us?_ He said. Fili shrugged.

_I don't know_, he replied. _She seemed to be very upset that we had all but pinned her down this morning._

_We were just trying to keep her warm,_ Kili countered. _She was so cold last night_.

Fili shrugged, glancing at her with concern.

_She is still cold,_ he replied. _She's back to that flimsy elvish clothing._

"Of course she is," a voice muttered behind them, and they turned to see Gloin. The red haired dwarf scowled in her direction.

"Probably thinks dwarf clothes are inferior," he added. The hair on Kili's neck bristled and he and Fili shot the dwarf an angry look.

"It's because of you that she thinks none of us trust her," a voice sounded behind Gloin, and he turned in surprise to see Ori. The scribe glared at Gloin.

"She was upset when she ran into me on the way back from visiting the rock this morning," Ori continued. "She thinks because she is a human that none of us could trust her. I told her not all of us feel that way." Gloin huffed.

"Why wouldn't you?" he replied. "It's not like you are a warrior either." Dori glared at Gloin.

"Let my brother be," he replied. "It seems that you are the only one who is still against her." Gloin rolled his eyes.

"Thorin is too," he replied. "And you all should be. She heard something not meant for her ears. Why would you trust an eavesdropper?" The two young dwarves in front of him turned and glared at him.

"If you do not trust an eavesdropper, then you should not trust _us_," Fili said, and Kili nodded. "We are far worse eavesdroppers than she is, and you know it!"

"It's not like she could just step out while we talked," Kili added, his eyes narrowing. "You saw how well _that_ turned out when we were just changing!" Gloin huffed.

"You are dwarves," he said simply. "She is a human, and she has no business listening in on our conversations. She should not have pretended to be asleep."

"Well, since the conversation was about her, I would say she did have a right," Fili retorted. "And you had no right to accuse her of what you did." Gloin's eyes narrowed.

"I had every right to do so," he replied. "You two are naïve and know little of humans. Do you not remember what happened to Thorin in Bree?" Kili rolled his eyes.

"She is only 26! She wasn't even born then!" Kili replied indignantly.

"She is way too young to even be on this quest!" Gloin responded. "She has nearly gotten herself killed more than once!"

"Which proves that she doesn't want any gold," Ori spoke up behind Gloin, and he turned in surprise.

"And how would that prove anything?" he asked, looking down at the scribe. Ori folded his arms around his journal and looked Gloin in the eye.

"Because the gold would be of no use to her if she were dead," he said simply. "If she really wanted some of the gold, she wouldn't be putting herself in harm's way like she is." The merchant stared at Ori for a moment, before turning and pushing past the two smirking heirs with a huff.

Fili and Kili turned and looked at Ori, before the three of them chuckled.

XXX

They continued walking, and Kili glanced again at her, noticing her shivering form. He sighed, and pulled his tunic out of his pack. He moved ahead of Fili and approached her nervously.

She raised her head as he fell in step beside her. They walked in silence for a moment, before he reached his tunic out to her.

"Take it," he said quietly. She looked at him for a moment, before hesitantly reaching out and grasping the tunic.

"I-I'm sorry for this morning," she muttered. "I just…I didn't sleep well last night, and I couldn't get up this morning." He sighed.

"Gloin's wrong," he said, looking straight ahead as they walked. "I don't think you are after the gold at all. And…I am sorry I pinned you." He flushed a bit as he said the last part, looking away from her.

"You were asleep," she said. "You could not help it. Though when Balin said the other night that there was room between you two if I didn't sleep like a whirlwind, he failed to tell me _you_ two did." Kili chuckled.

"I guess I am just so used to sleeping by my brother," he said. "Fili can sleep through anything."

"I am sorry I heard things I shouldn't have," she replied quietly, and Kili glanced at her. He sighed.

"If they didn't want you to hear, they shouldn't have said it," he said. "You would have to be deaf or unconscious to not have heard us last night." She sighed, and her shoulders slumped.

"I shouldn't have said anything," she replied. "I need to learn to just keep my mouth shut and my head down." She looked so sad in that moment, and Kili recognized the look in her eyes. He had seen that same look in the mirror every time he had been teased or taunted by those he had thought were friends, and he had thought himself friendless.

_Here she is among those she barely knows, grieving for those she had lost, and she thinks that none of us like her at all_, he thought to himself.

"For what it's worth, you do have friends among us," he found himself saying, and she stopped and looked at him in surprise. Brown eyes met blue, and he smiled shyly at her.

"Aye, that you do," Fili said, coming up on her other side. "And we do thank you for not tickling us this morning. Though I have in mind that mister Balin is long overdue for a little _amusement_." He winked at Kili, who smirked back, and she held up her hands.

"Uh-uh," she said. "I am _not_ taking midnight watch again!"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXX**

**_A response to guest reviewer Ri-chan- Thanks! I am glad you liked the igloo idea- getting trapped on a mountain in a snowstorm without some kind of shelter isn't a good idea, and there isn't really a good way for them to pack a shelter around big enough for all of them to fit in, so I went with the next best thing. Besides, they are nowhere near Goblintown yet so no caves yet- they are only (goodness I forget-have to count backwards in my chapters for sure!) about four days or so into the mountains, and by my calculations they would need at least a week at 10 miles per day in order to reach the other side- I am estimating about 50 according to the Atlas of Middle-earth as the raven flies, and so after up, down, and around about 70 or so. I think I will have them take 8 days of travel before they reach Goblintown, so 4 more days to go. As far as Balin- he understands the loss she's experiencing far too well. He saw Erebor fall, and he watched Thorin as the dwarf prince saw nearly his entire remaining family wiped out at Azanulbizar (his grandfather beheaded, his father went missing, his brother died- we never hear about his mother so I had her die in Erebor's attack in my story, and Dis, the boy's mother, is in the Blue Mountains. I feel that she and the boys are all he has left at this point). So he knows that look in her eyes-it's the same as the look in Thorin's when he thinks about the losses he suffered. That's why he knows that her grief IS affecting her, whether she thinks it is or not. And she doesn't realize that bottling it up isn't going to work. It might in the short term, but it is eating away at her from the inside. _**

**_Thanks to all who review, favorite, and follow- you guys are absolutely amazing! :D_**

**_Woohoo! 100 Reviews! Ice cream to all my readers! :D :D :D_**


	36. Chapter 36

_**I do not own any of the characters or the Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC) those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reull Tolkien, and without his genius, this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.**_

_**Please review! I love getting them-they keep me encouraged! J**_

They beat through the snow all day, until they finally came toward the top of the mountain. The high winds up there had blown the snow in drifts, leaving many bare patches of loose rock. Cirashala had held her cloak close to her, having put Kili's tunic on over hers during their midday break. Thankfully one of the dwarves had given Bilbo a cloak, allowing her to have hers back.

They reached the top of one of the tall mountain peaks, and passed over it, stopping in the shadow of a large rocky outcropping for the night to protect them from the high winds. Cirashala had noticed that Balin had been walking more and more slowly all afternoon, and though her aching body couldn't complain, she did hope that the older dwarf hadn't fallen ill.

She had kept a fair eye on the two princes, but still could hardly keep track of the two all day, with call of nature breaks and all that. Whatever Fili had planned for mister Balin's _amusement _had not been told to her since she had adamantly refused any part in it.

She was also somewhat irked that she hadn't been able to speak to Kili about his calling her "milady" the night before. She knew quite well that all or nearly all of the company outranked her in titles, with Thorin, Fili, and Kili more so than the others, given them to be of royal status. She really didn't need anyone getting angry with her anymore, not if she was to earn their trust.

_I highly doubt that will ever happen, _she thought to herself. _Even if I have friends amongst the dwarves, there will surely be some who won't trust me no matter what, and I cannot give them any more reason not to than they already have. _

She had been relieved to learn that Kili and Fili had not abandoned her after her untimely speech to Balin that morning. She still didn't understand why she had done such a foolish thing, though it might have been borne out of fear that Gloin had known she wasn't asleep the entire time and had meant her to hear every word.

She didn't really believe the dwarf to be cruel at heart, just simply prejudiced and quick to anger. And, from what little she had heard, it would seem that he was at least partially justified in his anger toward humans. However, his anger toward _her _she didn't believe to be justified at all, and strived to be particularly nice to the dwarf and show him that not all humans were full of scorn for their race. And from what little she knew of how humans had treated the refugees from Erebor, she was twice as determined to help the dwarves reclaim their homeland.

She would not stand for injustice at all, and goodness knows the dwarves of Middle-earth had experienced that far too often.

XXX

They had set up camp fairly quickly, and Balin quickly discovered the reason for his afternoon weariness- the bottom of his pack had been filled with several small stones, making it far heavier after the midday break than it had been that morning. The stones had been effectively concealed by his own things atop them.

The company had turned their heads at his indignant shout, and the laughter got louder as the pile of stones increased in size beside the rather _un_amused dwarf. Fili and Kili feigned innocence, but Cirashala could see their mouths twitching, and gave them a look. The second her eyes met theirs, the two heirs burst out laughing, all traces of innocence gone as the victim of their prank glared in their direction.

They were doubled over, holding their stomachs as tears fell down their cheeks, and so did not notice as Dwalin crept up behind them. Before the two princes knew what was happening, Dwalin had grabbed the outside of their heads and smacked the two of them together with a loud thud.

The burly dwarf smirked as a simultaneous "Ow!" resounded through the camp. Several chuckles were heard as blond and dark heads were massaged where they had made impact against one another, their owners glaring at the large dwarf behind them.

"Serves you right," Thorin chided them. "You two are to respect you elders, you know that." Balin smirked at the two chastised dwarfs as their shoulders slumped a bit in defeat.

"We wouldn't have done it if mister Balin hadn't told Cirashala to tickle us this morning," Kili grumbled under his breath. Thorin raised his eyebrow and cast a glance over at his old friend, who just shrugged in return.

"The lads had all but pinned her down in their sleep," Balin said simply, "And the lass needed to go outside." He paused, noting in the corner of his eye that Cirashala had raised her eyes from her bowl of stew, staring in Thorin's direction as her shoulders visibly tensed.

"Don't worry Thorin, she refused to do it," the kind dwarf added quickly before Thorin could act. The dwarf king looked at her for a moment, his expression unreadable, before sighing and returning to his bowl of stew.

A collective silence descended on the group as they finished their meal. Several dwarves pulled out their pipes after, and Ori pulled out his journal. He began to write, and Cirashala hesitantly got up and went over to him.

"Might I see?" she asked, and the dwarf beamed. He motioned her to sit down next to him, and began to enthusiastically show her the drawings he had done.

"This is Thorin's Halls in Ered Luin," he began, showing her a drawing of a large room with a great fireplace at one end. There were long tables on either side, and she could see Thorin sitting at the head of one, Gandalf to his right, and several of the dwarves of the company sitting around the room, smoking pipes or drinking what she believed to be ale. Not all of them were there, but she easily recognized Gloin, Oin, Bofur, Bombur, Bifur, Dori, Nori, and Balin.

"Wait, where are the rest of you?" she asked, and Ori grinned.

"Well, I am not shown because I am the one drawing," he said. "And I have never been good with self portraits. Word had been sent to Dwalin, who lived in the northernmost part of Ered Luin, though we had not seen him for some time, as he often gained work protecting caravans from bandits. And Fili and Kili aren't there, because Thorin hadn't decided they could come yet."

"Then who is this?" she asked, pointing to what appeared to be a young dwarf in the corner, who looked very much like he was sulking. He had a good beard already, and she thought she could recognize a little bit of Gloin in him.

"That is Gloin's son, Gimli," Ori asked, and her eyes went wide. **_That _**_was Gimli?_ He looked far younger than he had in the fellowship, though she wasn't surprised, given that this was supposedly 80 years before the events of the War of the Ring, but still-he looked so young!

"He doesn't look too happy," she replied, and she remembered the earlier conversation a few days ago where her age had been discussed, and they had mentioned that Gimli had been told he was too young to go. Gloin rolled his eyes, and Ori chuckled.

"Oh, he wasn't happy at all," the scribe said, a twinkle in his eye.

"He was downright furious," Oin said, having been sitting on his bedroll next to Ori. Dori on the other side chuckled a bit.

"My nephew was so angry he threatened to stuff himself in a bag and get someone to tie him to our pack pony," the healer continued, shaking his head. "We very seriously regretted bringing him to our meeting, but my sister in law was off visiting one of her friends several leagues away, and as we were going to be gone all evening we had to bring him with us. The lad cannot cook worth anything at all without burning the outside to a crisp and leaving the inside raw, and we didn't want him to be ill when we left."

"Where is he now?" she asked, and Gloin glanced at her out of the corner of his eye suspiciously.

"He is staying with our mother," Fili answered, not caring about the glare Gloin shot his way. "So he won't starve to death while we are gone, and he is also to protect her in our absence."

"The lad would've been just fine," Gloin said gruffly, and Thorin raised an eyebrow.

"Says the person who was forced to bed for a week after eating one of his 'meals' and swore the lad would never enter a kitchen again on pain of death?" Dwalin asked, smirking, and Gloin shot him a look. Cirashala looked at the picture again.

"He has a good beard," she said to Gloin, and the dwarf looked at her in surprise. She could almost see his chest puff up with pride, though he obviously tried to hide it.

"And he looks a lot like you," she continued, seeing the slightly positive change in his demeanor towards her. The suspicious look in Gloin's eyes lessened, and he shrugged a shoulder nonchalantly.

"Yes he does, I suppose," Gloin said, not meeting her eyes as he coughed awkwardly. Bofur smiled at her from across the fire, and Oin sat up just a little taller. Balin shot her an encouraging wink, and Bilbo smiled, relieved at seeing the dwarves open up a bit after their coldness toward her earlier that day.

"Show the lass your locket," Oin suggested, his tone more commanding than suggestion. Gloin hesitated, but at the looks from most of the company, he pulled out a large square locket, and opened it to reveal a handsome woman, albeit with very thick sideburns and a large nose, and a young child, Gimli though obviously drawn some time ago.

Cirashala had to strain a bit to see it, because Gloin did not move any closer to her, and he was on the other side of Oin. She squinted, before nodding.

"Is that your wife?" she asked hesitantly, and Gloin scowled.

"Who else would it be?" he asked rudely, and she swallowed, flushing slightly.

"She is very pretty," she said, choosing to wisely ignore Gloin's question, and this time the dwarf puffed his chest with absolutely no hesitation, grinning widely.

"She is the most beautiful creature that Mahal ever created," he said reverently, his expression changing entirely as he gazed off into the distance with a dreamy gaze. "I remember the time we first met…."

XXX

Balin watched in silence as Cirashala listened patiently, nodding every so often, as the red haired dwarf regaled her of his wild courtship with the love of his life, Brimli. She never interrupted, and kept her attention on the speaker, though her eyes began to fill with tears and she had to swallow heavily and blink to keep them from falling. Still, she remarkably kept her composure, and as she stifled a third yawn and her eyes began to be visibly heavy, Balin stood up.

"Cousin," Balin said, moving to stand near the speaker. He paused, glaring up at Balin for interrupting, but the elder dwarf was not perturbed, being used to Gloin's temperaments.

"The hour is late, and though your tale is a fine one indeed," here he received a scoff from Gloin, "We all need to rest. I am sure you can continue your story with Miss Cirashala in the morning after we continue on." Gloin opened his mouth and shut it, flushing as he realized just who he had been talking to for the better part of an hour, and laid down under his blanket not saying another word. Cirashala glanced at Ori, but the scribe had fallen asleep with his journal open on his chest, snoring lightly.

_Compliment the beards and family,_ she thought to herself with a slight feeling of triumph as she headed sleepily toward her bedroll. _I had a feeling it would work. _

XXX

"Now you have done it," Fili whispered as Cirashala stumbled to her usual position between the two brothers. She laid down, looking at Fili with confusion.

"Aye, Kili said, laying on her other side on his back, looking at the starry night sky. "You brought up his wife. Gloin will never shut up about her once he gets going."

"Seems to think that she must have been so finely crafted by Mahal himself that the maker must have spent _years_ perfecting every detail," Fili chuckled, turning to also look at the night sky with his arms folded behind his head. "It's his One, that's for sure." The last part was said with a large yawn, and within seconds Fili was snoring lightly, face turned away from the other two.

Kili glanced to the side, noticing Cirashala's slightly sharp intake of breath at Fili's comment, and saw her eyes begin to fill with tears. His eyes widened as he saw the raw pain within hers, and realized that their conversation likely brought her present grief at losing her family to the forefront. She glanced at him, before quickly reaching up to wipe them away, only to have her hand catch the blanket in her haste.

Not even thinking about what he was doing, he reached over and wiped her tears with his thumb. The two froze in shock, their eyes wide as they looked at his hand still on her cheek, before he pulled it away quickly and turned over in a panic. His breath came in quick pants as his heart raced, and he could feel his cheeks burning, along with a strange unfamiliar tug in his chest. He could hear her breathing steady after a few minutes, and swallowed nervously as he picked at the frayed edges of his blanket, only one frantic thought racing through his mind.

_What in Durin's name have I done?_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**A response to guest reviewer Ari-Thank you! :D I longed to fill in the gaps that Tolkien and PJ both left out- it must have taken them a week if not more to cross the mountains, and there is so much time between major "events" (read-action) that could be used to develop character until one feels that they truly know the dwarves, hobbit, and in this case Cirashala. I am so glad you are enjoying it! If you wish for any spoilers or my ideas for the story, I am happy to oblige via pm (since some readers may not wish to see them in an author's note or review). I have read a lot of mary sues here on FF, and I read a lot of stories where the writers follow the plotlines so closely that nothing changes due to their presence, and yet I feel that a character's presence that wasn't originally there is bound to alter the timeline, which allows me both more creative freedom and also allows for the readers to experience a "what if" scenario while being realistic. (It also allows my poor OC to stress herself completely out lol ;) I wanted to challenge myself to write a GOOD sue, something that is very difficult but still possible (A Little Princess is an example of a good sue), to see if I could further develop my writing ability, and see if I could do it. It is easy to write a sue- it is extremely hard to write a GOOD one. As far as updates, I try to update every day, but with a 1 year old and 4 year old (who are very much fine as is my husband in real life!), sometimes it isn't always possible, as it is not written ahead at all. So I try, but there might be gaps here and there. **

**Thanks to all who review, favorite, and follow- You guys make days like today where I am sick and feel miserable so much better! :D**


	37. Chapter 37

_**I do not own any of the characters or the Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC) those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reull Tolkien, and without his genius, this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.**_

_**Please review! I love getting them-they keep me encouraged! J**_

The next morning dawned overcast and dreary. The wind was moving briskly over the mountaintops, and the morning fire danced in every which direction as each gust threatened to extinguish the small flame.

The company began to stir, and several dwarves grumbled as they looked to the sky, pulling up their hoods. To the surprise of nearly everyone, Kili was one of the first dwarves awake, his dark hair tangled in a myriad of crazy knots and sticking out at various angles as he crawled out of the blankets, yawning heavily.

Bilbo watched as the young dwarf trudged off away from camp, rubbing his tired eyes. The hobbit's keen yet also tired eyes spotted dark circles under Kili's, and wondered if the lad had indeed really slept at all. Having been in the bedroll next to the three since the young heirs were the quietest snorers in camp (and Cirashala didn't snore at all), he had unfortunately been subject to the occasional hand or boot from the young dwarf as he had tossed and turned fitfully during the night.

The hobbit had a feeling that he knew why, but felt that he shouldn't say anything. Poor Kili was exhausted, and Bilbo did not wish for Thorin's wrath to fall on his younger nephew for befriending and comforting the young woman. Not only that, but he knew that the dwarves were rather skeptical of his own inclusion, and still didn't feel as though he really belonged among them.

A feeling that seemed to be growing more and more with each league they passed as they went further away from Rivendell.

XXX

Kili stumbled back into camp just as Nori crept over to Fili and Cirashala, a mischievous glint in his eye. The young heir glanced at his brother and Cirashala, noticing how she was flush against his brother's side. Her arms were brought up in front of her, fists under her chin as her head laid on the blond dwarf's shoulder. Fili was on his back, his right arm under his head as his left was wrapped around her shoulders protectively, both sleeping soundly. His frown deepened as he stared at the two of them, but before he could make sense of that strange feeling in his stomach, Nori passed in front of his line of vision. The lad blinked, before his eyes followed the thief to where he crept beside the sleeping Fili.

He saw Nori bend rather close to Fili's ear ever so quietly, and shook his head, saying nothing. If Nori wished to startle Fili awake and get hit, that was his business. His eye caught Dori's, who rolled his eyes and shook his head as he also bore witness to his middle brother's antics.

The copper haired dwarf smirked, before bellowing, "Wake up, lovebirds!" He jumped back quickly as Fili sat up with a yell and grabbed his swords from behind his head, the steel blade barely missing the thief as several panicked yells and a feminine scream sounded.

XXX

The young heir looked to the side with a gasp, eyes wide as he took in the trembling form of Cirashala, who was curled up on her side, hands clutching the back of her head and hiding her face.

"By Durin!" he cried, face pale as he looked at her, realizing that in his startle he had drawn his left sword as well. He set the swords down quickly, turning toward her. "Cirashala, are you all right? Please tell me you are all right!"

"I-I think so," she replied shakily, moving her arms to look up as several members of the company surrounded them, faces concerned. "I think your sword barely brushed the top of my hair, is all." Fili swallowed, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Are you sure you aren't injured, lass?" Bofur asked, and she nodded, sitting up.

"Yes," she replied, shooting Nori a glare. Thorin turned and glared at Nori as well, but before he could speak, a hand grabbed onto the thief's shoulder from behind.

XXX

Nori didn't even have time to realize what was happening before Kili's fist connected with his face. The startled dwarf fell to the ground, and Dwalin grabbed onto the furious young dwarf and held him back before he could do further damage.

"What were you thinking?!" Kili shouted at him from Dwalin's grasp. "Didn't you realize that Fili sleeps with his hand on his weapons? He could have killed her by accident!" Nori looked visibly ashamed. Kili opened his mouth to speak again, but Dwalin clasped his hand over it. The young dwarf yelled as he fought the burly dwarf, his yells muffled, his dark eyes lit with fury.

Thorin looked sharply at his younger nephew, still struggling in Dwalin's grasp.

"Kili, enough!" he shouted. Kili's movements stilled, but the glare he shot Nori very strongly resembled the glare that Thorin had given the retreating Thranduil on the day that Smaug took Erebor, making the thief avert his eyes and turn pale.

"Nori, what is the meaning of this?" Thorin growled. "Your yell and the ones you caused undoubtedly reached every orc within a ten mile radius!" Nori stood somberly, his shoulders slumped.

"My apologies, Thorin," he began, but Thorin cut him off.

"Not only that, but you would _dare_ to even_ suggest_ that my nephew and heir would even _consider_ a courtship with a human woman, and a widowed one at that?" Thorin's low voice was dangerous as his tone demanded a response, and the thief gulped.

"I-I didn't mean it l-like that, Thorin," he stammered, turning red in the face. "I-I was only teasing. T-they looked very s-snug cuddled up toge—" At the death glare he received from the dwarf king, the thief shut his mouth abruptly, glancing to his elder brother pleadingly. Dori shook his head, an annoyed and angry expression on his face.

"Don't expect me to get you out of this one," the elder admonished, glaring at his younger brother. "You should know to never startle a warrior awake. The lad was lucky he didn't kill her by accident, and it would have been _your_ fault if he had."

"Please stop," a quiet voice sounded, and Cirashala approached the circle timidly. She looked between the fuming Kili and Thorin, and the morose Nori, before her gaze settled on Thorin. "I am unhurt. It was unintentional on Fili's part, and a mistake in judgment on Nori's, and I harbor no ill feelings for those." She fixed Nori with a glare.

"As to your other insinuation, however," she said, her voice low and even. "I apologize if I _cuddled_ in my sleep. It was cold, and I can hardly be responsible for my actions when I am _asleep_. I can assure you that was most _definitely _unintentional." She swallowed, glancing at Thorin, who regarded her with a cold look, before the king turned toward the group.

"I do not want to hear any more yelling or shouting unless it is an emergency," he spoke, looking firmly at Nori. "We are in the mountains, and we never know when and if goblins or orcs will strike. Do not forget that." This last comment was directed at Nori, who nodded.

"Bombur, hurry and finish breakfast," the king ordered. "We need to get moving as quickly as possible."

XXX

Breakfast was hurried, consisting of fried potatoes and strips of bacon. The company ate quickly, and Fili noticed his brother yawning heavily, wondering why he had chosen to sit opposite the fire next to Ori instead of with him as he always did. Kili yawned a second time, and Fili began to wonder if he had even slept at all the night before. He didn't have much time to ponder it, however, because in short order they had begun to move again.

Fili watched in greater confusion as Kili strode toward the back with Bilbo, leaving himself and Cirashala towards the middle of the group. He kept glancing back at his brother, a bewildered look on his face, only for Kili to avoid his gaze. He had begun to wonder just what he had done that offended his brother so when he heard the young woman beside him speak.

"I'm sorry," she replied, not meeting his eyes. "About this morning. I-I didn't mean to." Fili sighed and looked at her.

"It's alright," he replied, shrugging. "To be honest, I thought you were Kili. He always does that when he gets cold. He is very much a cuddler." The younger dwarf suddenly chuckled a bit, and she looked at him with a bit of confusion.

"Last night, I kept wondering how my brother had gotten so small," he said, grinning. "I kept thinking he was awfully skinny. Smelled a lot better, too." She looked suddenly at the young dwarf, a warning in her narrowed eyes, and Fili quickly held up his hands in defeat.

"I am not saying you smell good," he said quickly, and her eyes widened. "I mean, I am sure that you do, but…I am only saying that my brother stinks." She raised an eyebrow at the young heir, and Bofur behind them chuckled.

"Best stop while you're behind, lad," he said, grinning. She looked sidelong at Fili for a moment, before getting a thoughtful expression on her face.

"Bofur, do you think there are any _skunks_ in these mountains?" she asked the miner, looking over her shoulder before looking pointedly back at Fili, a challenging look in her eyes. "I might have a use for one." Fili's eyes widened.

"You wouldn't," he said, his expression slightly fearful. She raised an eyebrow again, crossing her arms in front of her.

"Then perhaps you should stop mentioning how I smell, since I really would rather not have to go find one."

XXX

Kili trudged in the back of the line next to Bilbo. He was really very tired, and his eyes kept blinking as they trudged along. The usually cheerful dwarf hadn't said a word since they had left camp, and Bilbo kept looking at him worriedly.

"Begging your pardon, Kili," the hobbit began, not sure if the young dwarf would respond. "But you seem awfully tired." Kili glanced at him quickly, before stifling another yawn, and nodded slightly.

"I'm fine," he said, shrugging. "I just…" he trailed off. Bilbo looked at him, sighing.

"Didn't sleep well?" the hobbit finished. He didn't miss the way that Kili's shoulders tensed. The young dwarf shook his head slightly.

"No," he replied quietly, not meeting Bilbo's eyes. The hobbit absentmindedly rubbed his arm where Kili had hit him the night prior, wincing slightly. Kili glanced over at him with concern.

"Are you all right, Bilbo?" he asked, eyeing the hobbit's arm. Bilbo shrugged.

"Unless your fist is made of stone, I will be fine," he replied, and Kili's eyes widened in surprise.

"I-I hit you?" he asked, confusion and guilt clouding his features, and Bilbo nodded.

"Aye, last night," he said. "I daresay you tossed and turned so much that I got dizzy just watching you." Kili's eyes widened further, and a blush spread across his cheeks in his embarrassment. His gaze fell on Bilbo's leg as the hobbit stumbled, and the young dwarf gasped at the large purple bruise on Bilbo's shin.

"D-did I kick you, too?" he asked, gesturing toward Bilbo's leg. The hobbit winced.

"You might want to consider taking your boots off at night," he replied, and Kili hung his head.

"I am sorry, Bilbo," he replied. "I-I didn't realize I was so close to you." The hobbit shook his head.

"No harm done," he said. Kili opened his mouth to argue, and Bilbo held up his hand. "It's just bruises. I daresay I have had worse as a hobbit lad." Kili sighed dejectedly, and looked forward again.

"Why didn't you sleep well?" Bilbo asked, and Kili's cheeks flushed as he avoided the hobbit's gaze.

"It's nothing," Kili said quietly, and moved ahead of the hobbit as the path narrowed a bit. Noticing the others were out of earshot, Bilbo decided to chance it, feeling that what he had witnessed the night before was bothering the young dwarf more than he had realized. He didn't realize up until now how much he missed Kili's usually cheerful personality, and how its absence seemed to make the day even darker than it had been before.

"It's about what happened last night, isn't it?" the hobbit replied, and Kili stopped so abruptly that Bilbo ran smack into him.

"H-how did…" Kili's whisper trailed off, and Bilbo could hear the tremor in his voice. The hobbit sighed.

"I saw you wipe her tears," the hobbit replied quietly. He jumped back as Kili spun on his heel with a gasp, a panicked look in his wide eyes as his face flushed a deep crimson.

"Bilbo, please," he begged, his glistening eyes filled with fear. "Please don't say anything to _anyone_. I-I shouldn't have done that. I-it was improper,_ so_ improper, a-and I….I don't know why I did it, but….I-I wasn't thinking…Bilbo please. _Please _don't say anything." The hobbit looked at him in bewilderment.

"How is _that_ improper?" he asked, confused. "You are her friend, and you were just trying to comfort her, am I right?" Kili swallowed, nodding.

"I-I just wanted….I just wanted her to feel better," he whispered, a tear making its way down his cheek before being hastily wiped away. "But it was wrong….s-so wrong. I—" Bilbo shook his head.

"I don't understand," he said, before looking past Kili. His eyes widened.

"We had better get moving," Bilbo said quickly. "I can barely see them." Kili's eyes widened as he looked over his shoulder, before the two continued on at a quick pace. Kili was honestly very surprised they hadn't noticed that the two had lingered behind.

XXX

"How is it wrong?" Bilbo whispered next to Kili after they had caught up to the group, though still lingering just out of earshot, and the dwarf's shoulders slumped.

_H-how am I going to explain this? _He thought to himself. He was glad that the path had widened again and that he could walk side by side with the hobbit, so that they could whisper more quietly.

"Uh, well," the dwarf began, clearing his throat and willing his blush to go away. He ducked his head so his hair covered a decent portion of his face, being very thankful that he wasn't one to bother with braids. "Y-you remember how we told you that beards are extremely important to us that night in Bree, right?"

Bilbo nodded, remembering the conversation quite well, having asked Dori about his impressive braiding in their room at the Prancing Pony as the elder dwarf had fixed one of Ori's loose braids. Dori had explained to him about hair and beards being very sacred amongst dwarves, and that only family or loved ones were allowed to braid them.

Unfortunately for the poor hobbit, the youngest two members of the company had decided that, since Bilbo didn't have a beard, they would secretly braid the hair on his hobbit feet in the night. There had been quite a bit of amusement as the hobbit manservant for the inn had gaped at Bilbo's feet at dawn the next morning, causing the unsuspecting hobbit to glance down in horror at his intricately braided hair, complete with ribbons.

The hobbit had let out an indignant squeak, before chasing the two smirking heirs around the room, throwing any object he could reach at them as they ducked and laughed. The whole company had been howling, except for Thorin and Gandalf, who had been downstairs when complaints from the people below about the pounding and crashing emitting from the ceiling had them rushing upstairs.

They opened the door, weapons drawn and expecting an attack, to see a furious Bilbo attacking the laughing heirs with pillows in the corner while the rest of the company either laughed uproariously or yelled at them for broken belongings that had turned into projectiles. The fact that all the dwarves had ale the night before was not helping matters, since several of them were rather cranky as well.

They had been asked in no uncertain terms if they were leaving that morning, and Thorin had gotten the message loud and clear, thankful that they had indeed planned on leaving that day. Unfortunately for the two heirs, they had been assigned midnight watch every night for two weeks after that incident. And Bilbo's feet had been declared off limits, much to the hobbit's relief.

"How could I forget?" the hobbit muttered, and Kili smiled in spite of himself at the memory of Bilbo's bulging eyes and extremely high pitched squeak as he discovered his rather "feminine" feet. Yes, the two weeks of midnight watch had been miserable, but both heirs agreed the look on poor Bilbo's face had been well worth it.

"Well," he whispered, his smile fading as his anxiety returned. Bilbo looked at him, seeing the dwarf avert his eyes again.

"Y-you see….it's not just braiding. Touching another dwarf's beard is extremely….well, _only_ done if…..you see, dwarf men aren't the _only_ ones who have beards," the young dwarf stuttered, cheeks and ears turning bright red. Bilbo didn't say anything, and after a few minutes Kili glanced to the side, brow furrowing as he saw the look of utter bewilderment on the hobbit's face.

"Huh?" Bilbo finally asked, and Kili sighed, rubbing his hand over his face and through his hair.

"Y-your women," Kili asked, pausing. "Hobbit women don't have beards either, do they?" Bilbo looked at him for a moment, before his eyes widened comically.

"A-are you saying dwarf women have _beards_?" the hobbit asked loudly in his surprise, and Kili's eyes widened in slight panic as he saw the company looking back at the two of them with curiosity, neither having noticed that the company had stopped for the midday break. Bilbo's eyes followed his gaze, before ducking his head in embarrassment.

"Aye, laddie," Balin said as he approached them. "They aren't as thick as ours, mind you."

"They are finer, mostly just on the jawline," Bofur added, chuckling at the astonished look on Bilbo's face. "Some have mustaches too, though not usually as big as mine."

"Speak for yourselves," Gloin said. "_My_ wife has a mighty handsome beard, long enough to braid."

"It still only grows on her jawline," Oin countered as he started a small fire to melt snow for their waterskins. "Even if her's is longer than many other dwarf women's."

"Why do you ask, laddie?" Balin asked Bilbo, and the hobbit could hear Kili's sharp intake of breath as his brown eyes darted to the hobbit. Bilbo shrugged, hoping it looked nonchalant enough.

"I was just telling Kili how I didn't know of any hobbits that had beards," he said. "And he said dwarf women do as well as the men." Balin chuckled.

"Aye, it is a bit different than other races," he said. "But we wouldn't trade our women for all the gold in Erebor. They are mighty precious to us, beards and all." The elder dwarf chuckled again as he made his way back to his spot to rest.

Balin sat down, before glancing around the camp. He saw Cirashala glance around too, before discreetly fingering her upper lip, brow furrowed in thought. The dwarf looked at her for a moment out of the corner of his eye, wondering. She dropped her hand swiftly as soon as someone turned her way, grasping them together in her lap as she glanced quickly around camp, a nervous expression on her face, as though she were afraid of getting caught. The old dwarf's eyes widened.

_Mighty precious indeed, _he thought to himself, smiling slightly.

XXX

Bilbo glanced at Kili, who shot him a grateful glance in return. The young dwarf glanced at the camp, before turning slightly so the hobbit could still see his face but not the rest of the company. He caught Bilbo's eye, and brought his hand up to wipe his eye with his thumb, before resting it on his….

_Beard_, Bilbo thought, eyes widening in realization._ If she were a dwarf woman, her beard would be on her jaw, and he would have touched it when he wiped her eyes._

Suddenly, it all made sense. Kili's startled reaction the night before, his sleepless night, and his worry and guilt over what he had done- he had felt that he had all but touched her beard. Or would have, had she had one. And from what Bilbo had learned, it was deemed extremely improper for a dwarf to touch another's beard unless they were family, or loved ones.

_He believes that he violated her_, Bilbo realized, and when he saw the ashamed look in Kili's eyes, he realized that his deduction was correct. If the beards were as important as the dwarves said they were, then his action would have been akin to kissing a hobbit lass passionately without asking.

He looked at the young dwarf, whose dark eyes were shining with unshed tears. Kili blinked them back rapidly, swallowing as he looked imploringly at Bilbo, and the hobbit smiled and nodded reassuringly, hoping Kili understood what he was trying to say.

_It is all right, Kili. I will not speak of it to anyone._

Bilbo glanced toward Cirashala, and back at Kili, giving him a look that the young dwarf recognized all too well, and the young dwarf nodded, looking down.

_I will apologize to her_, Kili thought to himself as he went to sit and rest, a bit apart from the group. He glanced at her quickly out of the corner of his eye, before looking at his hands in his lap. _As soon as I can face her again._

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXX**

**A response to guest reviewer Ri-chan- I hope I feel better soon too, because as of this response I am still sick L I try to respond to reviews immediately when I get them, so at the moment I haven't actually written the chapter this is going under, but thank you for the well wishes, and hopefully I will feel better by the time I actually write this chapter. I am glad you liked the last chapter, and yes it opened that door up perfectly. Gloin reiterating his love story brought back her own memories of courting and marrying her husband, which was obviously traumatizing and raw pain for her. Yet, she stayed and listened despite the pain. If you wish for further details regarding your reaction to the last paragraph, please private message me so my other readers do not get spoilers if they don't wish to receive them :D All I can say on the public viewpoint here in my author's note is that Kili is thinking the Middle-earth version of your same phrasing as well at the moment…. ;P But, in all honesty, he really has no idea ****_what _****just happened either ;) I love hearing when my readers get excited at what I write :D **

**Thanks to all who review, favorite, and follow- you guys are fantastic! And thank you all for the well wishes regarding my awful sore throat :D Hopefully it will be better soon!**


	38. Chapter 38

**I do not own any of the characters or the Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC) those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reull Tolkien, and without his genius, this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.**

**Please review! I love getting them-they keep me encouraged! J**

Howls echoed off the surrounding mountain peaks, and the pale orc grinned.

_Finally_, he thought with a triumphant smirk as he fingered his large mace. _They found the scent._

His silvery white warg answered with a howl of her own, and the group began to run down the icy slope towards where his scouts had gone two hours before. Their pawed feet moved swiftly over the ice, slowing and digging their claws in when necessary to avoid losing traction. The fur of his mount fairly flew in waves as they made haste, none wishing to lose the scent yet again.

They had been searching for the trail of the dwarves for four days now, since one of the many scouts he had sent from Weathertop had caught the scent just outside of the thrice cursed elvish valley. It had been fortunate they had, given that they had already widely encircled the valley four times after the dwarves had disappeared, and it was only for the final return trip that the scent had been picked up again.

He had been extremely surprised the dwarves apparently remained in the valley for longer than one night, given the animosity between them and elves. Unfortunately, that assumption had led him and his pack in circles as they could not locate the scent that they were certain was out there somewhere, and the dwarves had seemed to vanish into thin air. They had finally picked up the scent four days ago, just outside of Rivendell.

Unfortunately, once they got to the stream outside of the elvish valley, they had lost the scent once more. The usually shallow river was swollen with floodwaters, several half submerged trees standing near the "middle" of the swift flowing waters. They had had to go several leagues downstream before they found a suitable spot to cross, and even then several of the smaller wargs had nearly drowned. Several leagues later, they had finally found the old remains of a campfire, only to lose their trail for a third time once they reached snowcapped peaks, the freshly fallen snow hiding any tracks or traces of scent.

The large orc was getting very short tempered and impatient with his scouts with each unsuccessful return, several of them becoming feed for the wargs in his frustration. But now, as he neared his scouts, he began to feel the thrill of the hunt once more.

For before them, clear as day, was a large patch of disturbed snow-far too large to have been an animal or any natural occurrence. And leading away from the disturbance was a fairly clear broken through trail, the distinct tread of dwarf boots intermingling in the small space as the path headed east.

_"They have taken the mountain pass_," the pale orc spoke in the Black Speech. "_We shall pass through the goblin tunnels and cut them off at the eastern door. You—" he gestured toward one of his lieutenants. "Will inform the goblin king to anticipate guests. And tell him that he may do what he wishes with the others, but the head of Thorin Oakenshield is mine."_ The lieutenant nodded his head, and the pack began to follow the trail, adrenaline surging through their veins as they ran eastward.

_Soon the head of the dwarf king will be mine, and my revenge will be complete._

XXX

The company continued on that afternoon, making their way down the path and finally leaving the ever snowy peak behind.

To both Bilbo and Cirashala's relief, the temperature steadily warmed as they descended down. They encountered thick fog for about an hour or so, and each dwarf, hobbit, and human grabbed the shoulder of the person in front of them to avoid becoming separated. They weaved through the mists until they finally broke through on the underside, the gray mists becoming drizzling clouds overhead.

Fili kept glancing back at his brother, a concerned expression on his face. Kili still hung toward the back of the group, eyes watching the ground as he walked. It seemed so unlike the two to be separated, especially if something seemed to be amiss. It wasn't unusual for Kili to walk behind Thorin when he wasn't with Fili, but this time he wasn't near either of his close kin.

Brow furrowing with concern, Fili looked toward Bofur. Signing quickly in Igleshmek, he began to work his way back toward his brother, the miner taking his place alongside Cirashala as requested.

XXX

Kili glanced up as Fili fell in step beside him. The two walked alongside for a while, the silence finally broken by Fili when the others had moved ahead just a bit.

"Brother, what is wrong?" Fili asked the dark haired dwarf, worry in his eyes. Kili averted his eyes.

"Nothing," he replied, and Fili noticed the younger move away from him slightly. He frowned.

"It is not like you to avoid me. Have I done something to offend you?" he asked. The hurt and confusion was evident in his tone, and Kili sighed. He didn't know exactly why he was upset with his brother. Seeing him that morning with his arm wrapped around Cirashala's sleeping form had sparked an unusual feeling within him-something he had never felt before. It was not a pleasant feeling at all, and had almost been forgotten in the wake of Nori's prank. But now, when actually faced with the question, he found that he didn't know how to answer.

_How can I tell him why I am upset when I do not even know?_ The young dwarf thought to himself.

"Yes….no….I don't know," he replied, causing Fili's expression to become even more bewildered.

"Y-you don't know if you are angry with me?" the blonde dwarf asked, and Kili sighed in frustration, gritting his teeth. It didn't help that he still hadn't figured out a way to apologize to Cirashala for touching her face the night before. His mind was a whirl of confusing thoughts, and he kicked a small rock in his frustration. The blonde dwarf sighed.

"Whenever you are ready to talk to me, I will listen," he replied, a note of defeat in his tone. "And I am sorry for whatever it is I have done." He adjusted his shoulder strap, before moving ahead of his brother in line. Kili watched him go, noticing the defeated slump of his shoulders. It was so subtle that, had Fili not been his brother, he likely wouldn't have noticed it at all.

"I'm sorry, brother," Kili whispered, too low for anyone to hear. _I-I don't know what is wrong with me._

XXX

The company stopped to make camp in a clearing at the base of the mountain they had just traversed. It had taken far less time to climb down the mountain as it had to climb up, due to the valley they were in still being considerably higher in elevation to the foothills they had ascended six days prior. As they set up camp, Fili found himself glancing quite often toward his brother as he laid out his bedroll.

_He always talks to me,_ Fili thought in confusion, feeling hurt. _What have I done?_

He thought back to the night before, and couldn't think of anything he had done to make his brother feel any animosity toward him. A sudden realization hit him as he glanced up at the fluttering grey cloak ahead of him, noticing Cirashala settle down by the fire to help Bombur cut up some carrots for supper.

_It is because I nearly killed her this morning_, Fili thought. He glanced back, noticing how his brother glanced toward Cirashala as well, before flushing slightly and looking back at the ground. His brow furrowed even further.

_What was that? _

XXX

"Fili," Thorin said, walking towards the young dwarf. Fili looked up from where he was laying out his bedroll. Thorin glanced at the young woman and his other nephew, before returning his gaze to his eldest nephew.

"Take your brother and the girl and go and see if you can find some fresh meat for supper," Thorin instructed. "I do not want us using up our limited provisions when fresh meat may be near." Fili nodded, watching as Thorin turned to discuss watch rotation with Dwalin.

The blonde rose from his position, and approached Kili. The younger dwarf looked up from sharpening his dagger as his elder brother approached. Fili sighed, sensing the invisible wall Kili had built up around himself. He only ever used that wall to keep others from getting too close to him, and had never used it with Fili before. The elder cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Thorin wants us to try and find some fresh meat for supper," Fili said in a matter-of-fact tone, trying to not betray the hurt he felt at the unspoken rejection. Kili nodded, sheathing his dagger. He grabbed his bow and stood without a word, walking past his brother. He began to head out of camp, and Fili put his hand on his shoulder.

"Thorin said to bring Cirashala with us," he said quietly, and jumped a bit as Kili whipped his head around, eyes narrowed.

"No," he said simply. Fili sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Why not?" he replied, "You're the one who decided we should train her, and this is good training for a bow." Kili sighed, glancing toward her with trepidation. Fili followed his gaze, before returning it to his brother.

"Brother, I do not know what is bothering you," Fili said quietly. "I know you are nervous around girls, but an order is an order, and she needs to learn how to wield her bow properly." Kili nodded reluctantly, and watched as Fili moved toward the young woman and told her what Thorin had said.

XXX

The three made their way out of camp as quietly as possible. The two archers had their arrows nocked and at the ready, though their bows were not drawn.

Cirashala kept a close eye on Kili in the evening light, trying her best to copy his stance and grip on his bow. Kili seemed to not notice her staring at his hands at all, his eyes constantly scanning the trees for any signs of wildlife. She soon found her gaze scanning the trees as well, being sure to keep her eyes and ears open so as to not get separated from her companions.

Fili walked behind the two, noticing how Cirashala would look at Kili's hands, and then adjust her hands accordingly. He didn't know whether she knew it was a training exercise or not, but he was pleased to note that she was treating it as such. She seemed like she wanted to learn how to use her weapons, and was making every effort to emulate his brother.

_Unlike a certain burglar of ours,_ Fili thought with a slight smirk, remembering their "training session" in Rivendell.

He kept scanning the trees behind him, his hands ready to grab the hilt of his twin falchions. He did not have the range his brother did, arrows having a far greater range than throwing knives, however he would protect the two archers with his life should something less _savory_ make an appearance.

XXX

Kili had to admit, she was surprisingly good at being quiet as she moved through the brush. She was even quieter than the dwarves, who had been trained how to hunt. He saw her emulate him out of the corner of his eye, and noticed the way she stepped lightly, rolling her foot from heel to toe as she stepped down softly. She also seemed to be quite flexible, and stayed low as she moved along the ground.

His keen eyes caught a slight flutter of movement in the bushes about twenty yards up ahead, and he motioned for the two people behind him to get low and off to the side. Fili crouched behind his brother as Kili moved behind a tree. Cirashala moved behind the tree next to theirs. He saw her glance at him out of the corner of his eye. He glanced at her, then back where he saw the bushes rustle, nodding slightly. Her eyes followed his, and he saw her grip tighten on her arrow.

The rustling continued. Fili's hands drifted toward the hilt of his throwing daggers, and they waited in baited breath for their quarry to come into sight.

XXX

An unearthly screech pierced the night air, and Thorin's head whipped around, eyes wide and face pale as he realized the familiar screech came from the direction his nephews and Cirashala had gone fifteen minutes prior.

"Orcs!" he shouted. "Du bekar! Du bekar! To the left!"

The company wasted no time in charging off through the underbrush, following the distant sound of clashing steel with their own weapons drawn. They could hear the yells of the two young dwarves up ahead, the sound intermingling with orc howls.

_Please let us not be too late,_ Thorin thought to himself. _Please let them be all right._

XXX

The eyes of the three hunters widened as the dark figure of an orc came through the brush, crude sword drawn, and Kili wasted no time in shooting it. Fili's hands immediately left the hilt of his throwing knives and drew his falchions in less than a second, jumping up.

The screech of the orc as the arrow hit sounded through the trees, and before they knew it several more came charging through the bush. Kili heard Cirashala's sharp intake of breath, and glanced to see her staring at the oncoming orcs with wide eyes.

"Cirashala, shoot them!" he cried, letting loose another arrow. It broke her out of her daze, and she let loose the arrow she had nocked, hitting an oncoming orc in the shoulder. She quickly nocked another one, though by the time she had drawn it and fired, hitting another orc in the lower stomach, Kili had already fired three arrows, taking orcs down with them.

"Draw your sword!" Fili cried out to her as the orcs descended upon them, less than 5 yards away. She immediately dropped her bow and drew her sword, eyes wide with fright as a large orc charged her. Just as she managed to get the sword unsheathed, the orc slashed his crude sword down. She hadn't had time to block it, and jumped to the side as the orc sword barely missed her.

The orc swung towards the right as he turned, and she jumped back again. He brought his sword back to the left in a slashing motion, and she managed to block it, bringing her own sword up toward the right as quickly as she could, slashing the foul creature's head off. An arrow whipped past her ear, and she instinctively jumped into the tree, seeing the orc fall right where she had been standing half a second prior, a yellow arrow sticking out of its head. Her stomach churned at the black blood on her tunic, but she fought it.

Her eyes briefly met Kili's, who blocked a blow with his bow, and swung it around to hit the orc in the side of its head, stunning it. He dropped his bow as well, drawing his sword and parrying the orc's blow, before thrusting it into the orc's torso.

"Behind you!" he cried, before turning and slashing an orc shoulder to hip.

She swung around, seeing another orc charge her, and stopped the blow with an overhead block. The orc pushed into it, causing her to fall to her knees. The orc sneered at her as her arms trembled, before its expression changed. Her eyes widened as she saw the black tip of a sword protrude through its torso, and the pressure lifted as the orc's sword fell from its grasp, a strong arm around its neck.

Fili kicked the orc off his sword, and looked at the girl on her knees.

"Get up!" he cried, turning to parry another blow. She stood, shaking a bit as she turned and faced another raised sword. The orc slashed at her quickly, and she sustained a slight cut on her arm as she stumbled over a tree root, losing the grip on her sword. The orc looked down at her menacingly as he raised his sword, and she frantically grappled for hers. The sword came down quickly, and she cried out as she kicked upward as hard as she could.

_Please don't let this be the end_, she thought frantically as her foot made contact.

XXX

The orc howled with pain as her foot made contact with his groin, stumbling for a second. She managed to grip her sword, and turned just in time to see sparks as the orc's blade was stopped by a sword less than a foot away from her face.

Kili swung out of the block, stepping in front of her and allowing her to rise back to her feet. She was now between the two brothers, swords raised as orcs surrounded them. The two young heirs backed up slowly, eyes darting around at the dozen orcs surrounding them as they tried not to show their fear. Cirashala went to move in front of them, but Kili's left hand grabbed her shoulder and pushed her behind them, her back to a pair of two trees growing closely together.

"Stay behind us," he hissed, eyes never leaving the orcs. Cirashala's eyes widened.

"But, I sw—" she began quietly, only to be cut off by Fili.

"Do what he says," Fili hissed. "And don't speak!" The orcs closed in on them, triumphant sneers on their faces, before a loud roar had all pairs of eyes darting toward the sound.

XXX

The company burst through the bushes, roaring battle cries, and the orcs immediately charged them.

Thorin roared as he sliced through the torso of an orc, Dwalin's axe beheading the one next to it. Bofur shouted as his mattock slammed into the head of an orc aiming his sword towards Bombur, and the rotund dwarf nodded his thanks as he swung his ladle into the face of another.

The rest of the company quickly dispatched the remaining orcs, and Thorin turned his head towards his nephews, eyes quickly scanning them for injury. Finding no apparent wounds, he sighed in relief. He scanned the surrounding forest, before turning toward the company.

"We need to find a more protected place to camp for the night," he said. "And we will have double watches tonight." The various dwarves nodded, and Thorin approached his youngest nephew.

XXX

Cirashala was shaking. She had already seen orcs on the plain, however she had gotten injured and unconscious before the real battle had begun. Tears threatened to spill, but she blinked them back. A wave of nausea hit her as the stench of orc blood filled her nostrils, and she crawled toward the side of the trees and vomited.

She was unprepared for the hand that rested on her shoulder, and jumped slightly. Looking up as she wiped her mouth, her frightened blue eyes met Kili's dark ones. The young dwarf swallowed nervously, and averted his eyes.

"It's all right," he whispered. "The first time is always hard." She blinked in confusion, noticing that Fili had stepped away and was speaking to Dwalin. Her gaze returned to Kili.

"I-I already saw orcs on the plain, remember?" she whispered back. "I killed the warg, didn't I?" He nodded.

"Aye, but it happened so fast, and you were unconscious within minutes," he replied, glancing at her. His eyes trailed down toward her arm, where the blood from the shallow cut was seeping through her sleeve. Her eyes followed his, and she swallowed to keep the bile from rising in her throat. She quickly clamped her hand down on it.

"It's nothing," she whispered, shutting her eyes. She opened them as she felt his hand on hers, moving it off her cut.

"Orc wounds are never nothing," he replied softly. He glanced at her, before looking at the cut, cheeks flushing slightly.

"I-I'm sorry," he stuttered suddenly, cheeks burning. "F-for last night, I…I-I shouldn't have….I didn't mean….I-I am sorry,_ so_ sorry, I…." His eyes scrunched closed, swallowing nervously. She could feel his hands trembling on her arm, and heard his breathing quicken. She thought back to the night prior, how he had wiped her tears away, and could visibly see the shame on his face in the late dusk.

"It's all right," she whispered, putting her hand on his arm. He nearly jumped out of his skin, and looked at her with surprise.

"It's not nothing," he protested, remorse in his features. "I-I _viol_—" he was cut off as Thorin's heavy footsteps approached, and looked up at his uncle, praying that he hadn't heard the conversation.

XXX

Thorin had noticed how Cirashala had thrown up. He also noticed how his nephew had crouched beside her, and his brows furrowed.

"Kili," he said as he stopped in front of him. "Are you or your brother injured?" The young dwarf shook his head.

"No, but Cir—" he began, but Cirashala cut him off as Thorin frowned.

"It's nothing, just a scratch," she replied quickly, looking at the ground. Thorin stared at her hard.

"And I suppose the reason why you only have a scratch is because my nephews had to protect you," he said, turning his piercing gaze on Kili. Cirashala's shoulders slumped.

"I-I tried," she replied, and Kili held up his hand.

"We did protect her some," he admitted, receiving a glare from his uncle. "But, she shot two orcs before they even reached us, and beheaded another one."

"Thorin, the orcs surprised us," Fili added, approaching his uncle. "We thought that it was an animal in the bush until the orc came out. She has obviously not received much training, but she's still alive. And she didn't do too badly, all things considered." He glanced at her with a slight look of approval, before turning back to his uncle.

"She tried to copy Kili's actions with his bow, and she moved extremely quietly through the brush. Even though we didn't tell her anything about training, she treated it as such," he finished, and Cirashala looked between the two with a bewildered look.

"T-that was training?" she asked, confusion in her tone, and the brothers shared a slightly sheepish glance.

"Well, the orc attack wasn't part of it," Kili said, earning an eye roll from his brother and a raised eyebrow from Thorin. "But aye, it was good practice. Too bad we didn't find any _decent_ meat." He finished the last part of his sentence by kicking a dead orc.

Thorin sighed heavily. The two heirs looked at him much the same way they had done after a training session, when he would let them know what they did well and what they needed to work on. He sighed again, before looking at Cirashala.

"Get Oin to bandage up your wound," he said gruffly, before moving toward the group. The two heirs glanced at her, nodding their heads in approval, before the trio rejoined the group as well. As they walked back toward their campsite, senses on alert and weapons still drawn, Fili leaned in.

"Not bad for your first day of training, but there is a lot you need to work on," he said quietly, and Kili nodded. She almost didn't hear the younger brother's quiet words as they returned to their campsite, the others already gathering their things.

"Not bad for a beginner though. Not bad at all."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX X**

**A response to guest reviewer Ri-chan- I honestly don't mind talking like crazy via pm- actually made a few friends on here ;D But it's purely up to you, so if you want some spoilers, or even to discuss already "published" stuff, you can pm me. I don't mind :D I am a stay at home mom, so I don't always get the opportunity for "adult interaction", mostly just 4 year old conversations and 1 year old trying to decipher conversations-she's speaking full (but short) sentences and such at 17 months old, but you have to listen closely to catch it. So, it's nice to be able to email people back and forth who have similar interests and a love of Tolkien-same reason why I like TORn. I am glad you like the excitement and thrill in the story. Would you care to expand on that? Meaning what parts of excitement are you talking about? I didn't think my last few chapters were "exciting" per se, since they didn't have a lot of action, but I know there are different kinds of excitement. One of the reasons I love getting reviews is it gives me the opportunity to ask readers what I am doing well and what I need to work on. It helps me become a better writer, but if I don't understand what excitement or thrill, then it's hard to figure out what a reader means sometimes :D **

**Thanks to all who review, favorite, and follow- I love getting them! And I get a huge grin on my face when there are new ones! It makes me so happy that my readers are liking things, and it makes me happy as a writer when I am told I need to work on something, because then I know of ways I can improve!**

**BIG APOLOGIES FOR NOT UPDATING SOONER! I had computer issues, but they are fixed now :D Yay! Hard to work on stuff when your computer power cord and power port both decide to be stinkers! So a slightly longer chapter to make up for it!**

**You guys are awesome! :D**


	39. Chapter 39

_**I do not own any of the characters or the Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC) those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reull Tolkien, and without his genius, this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.**_

_**Please review! I love getting them-they keep me encouraged! J**_

They found another, safer campsite fairly quickly. The company quickly set it up on a slight hill in the valley, their small fire hidden behind large rocks. There was one opening in the natural, offset ring of tall rocks, facing the east. They were still shielded a bit by tall pine trees, but it afforded enough of a view to see any potential enemy that might approach, including the clearing where their first campsite had been.

As they had climbed the hill, Fili and Kili had sheathed their weapons and begun to gather very dry wood that would not smoke much. This wood was used to build their campfire, and the spare wood was set off to the side. Cirashala went to help them, but a sharp look from the brothers immediately stopped it.

"You need to keep pressure on your cut," Fili admonished sternly. She sighed loudly in frustration.

"For the last time, it is only a scratch," she muttered under her breath, starting a bit at the glare Kili sent her way.

"It is _not _a scratch," he hissed quietly. "Keep your hand on it!" She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to keep her temper in check. Tensions were running quite high after the unexpected orc attack, and she was trying unsuccessfully to banish the horrible images out of her mind. Kili looked at her hand, then back at her, glaring again, and she sighed loudly and put her hand on the cut.

_For heaven's sake, it isn't even bleeding anymore,_ she thought to herself, wisely choosing to not continue arguing with the young prince.

_Why is he so concerned? _She thought to herself, not sure what to make of it. _It's almost as if…he is afraid I am going to die. Am I really that bad of a fighter?_

She thought back to the several times she had nearly been injured or killed during the brief skirmish, and her face drained of color.

_Yes, yes I am._

XXX

The watches were quickly organized, two to a watch as per Thorin's instruction. Bombur quickly finished their supper, having carried the half cooked pot up the hill with him. The company ate in quick silence, before pulling out their pipes, many of them needing to calm their nerves and adrenaline before attempting to sleep.

Thorin sat smoking his pipe silently, eyes and ears open for anything out of the ordinary. He gazed across the fire at his nephews, who were once again sitting together closely. There still seemed to be some unexplained tension between them that he didn't understand, but despite that it was clear that they needed each other.

He sighed, replaying the events of the evening in his head, and the terror he had felt when the orc's screech had reached his ears. He had been very proud of his nephews for holding their own until the company arrived, despite the presence of the inexperienced young woman. However, he could not help the feeling of worry that the next time such a thing would happen, one or both of them might not be so fortunate.

He remembered Cirashala's oath when she begged to accompany them quite well. She had sworn to protect them all with her life, and, despite his constant doubts about accepting the word of a human, he felt inclined to believe her. He wasn't quite sure _why _he did (perhaps her actions on the plain when she had saved Kili's life was an indication), but something told him that she would at least _attempt_ to protect them, skilled or not.

However, he wasn't stupid by any means, and knew that, if it came down to it, no self-respecting dwarf man, his nephews included, would hide behind a woman and allow her to be hurt or killed in their defense. Not if said dwarf man could prevent it. Men were supposed to protect women-not the other way around, something that had been drilled into dwarf men from the time they were young dwarflings.

Thorin sighed. Once again, he found himself deeply regretting that he had allowed her to come.

XXX

Fili was relieved to see the invisible wall go down around his brother, even if only a little. They sat next to each other, and if one would get up to get more supper, the other's eyes would track him, fearing that if they took their eyes off each other for even a second they would disappear.

He knew it was a slightly irrational fear, but the night's events had made it seem just a little less irrational and far more realistic. His mind replayed the moments 12 days before where he had thought his little brother was going to die, and he had decided, wall or no, that he was going to sit next to his brother, realizing that any moment could be the last on this quest. One or the other of them could very well die before the quest was over, and Fili was determined to make sure that, should that be their fate, they would _not _die with an unspoken offense between them.

Feeling more than seeing Kili rise, he looked up at his brother, a question in his gaze. Kili's brown eyes glanced down at him, before he made a quick yet discreet gesture.

_Need to visit a tree, _the younger signed, and Fili nodded. He rose too, paying little mind to the confused glance of Kili.

_You shouldn't leave camp alone, not if there is a possibility of orcs out there, _Fili signed, and Kili sighed and nodded. Shouldering his sword sheath, Fili followed his brother to the trees just outside the rocky ring that made up their campsite.

XXX

Cirashala sat and watched as Oin looked at her cut. The healer hummed matter of factly, before reaching into the bowl of hot water next to him and began to scrub vigorously at the wound. She nearly whimpered at the unexpected onslaught, but, not wanting to appear weak and pathetic, held it in, though her face still bore the traces of a grimace.

Oin scrubbed until the wound had lost all the scab over it, causing it to bleed freely again. She looked up in slight confusion as Oin simply watched and let it bleed for a few minutes.

"M-Mister Oin?" she asked. The old healer looked at her.

"Aye, lass?" he replied, and she swallowed nervously.

"W-why are you just making it bleed?" she asked, gesturing toward her arm. The healer glanced down at her arm, then back at her.

"To remove the poison, should there have been any," he replied. Her brow furrowed, wondering if Oin was at the stage of practicing bleeding as a medical technique. She remembered that, as late as the mid 19th century, many people still believed the body to be made up of four things, and if one was ill the thought was that they should be bled in order to regain a "balance" of the four elements.

It was, of course, later found to be quite different as medicine advanced, but she knew that she could not afford to lose any more blood. She had felt the effects of anemia caused by the blood loss after her injury quite well after she had awakened in Rivendell, having had difficulty breathing and avoiding lightheadedness as they had climbed the mountains and after all the mishaps she had had so far. She had encountered anemia a few times growing up, and knew what it felt like.

"Mister Oin," she began, not quite sure how to avoid insulting the healer but at the same time determined to not make herself any more of a risk than she already was, "A-are you _bleeding _me?" The healer looked up in surprise.

"No, lass," he replied, looking at her oddly. "That is quite ineffective, and frankly a bit crude and outdated as a 'healing' method. When it comes to the sorts of poisons orcs use, allowing the tainted blood to _push _out the poison that congregates in the surrounding tissue for a few moments aids in the healing process." With that, he washed her wound once more, before applying a healing ointment and wrapping a bandage around her forearm.

Her mind tried to wrap around Oin's reasoning. She knew, of course, based on her anatomy class in college, that the blood stream coursed throughout the body, and should any poison enter the bloodstream, it would take only a minute before it reached the heart and the brain. She had a good feeling that, had she been poisoned, it would have taken effect long before now, or at least she would have begun having symptoms.

She decided that she would watch Oin carefully to see how to do things like stitching and setting bones (although she dearly hoped that they would not have need of such services), but as far as tending small cuts and scrapes, she would do it herself.

_At least, as long as the elvish medicine holds out, _she thought to herself. _I wish I could remember what athelas looks like. _She resolved to do whatever she could to try and remember the appearance of this healing plant from Tolkien's lore, for if she could, it may aid greatly in the future.

XXX

Oin cleared his throat, and she started a bit. He glanced at her now bandaged arm, then back up at her, one eyebrow raised. She flushed a bit, realizing that, in her musings, she hadn't paid attention, and didn't notice that he had finished his task.

She stood up quickly, and begun to head out of camp. Balin's voice stopped her.

"Where are you going, lassie?" he asked her. Several pairs of eyes turned toward her, and she blushed to the roots of her hair.

"Erm, I just need to….._step _out of camp for-for a minute," she stuttered, biting her lip and looking at the ground. Balin glanced to Thorin, before looking back at her.

"As much as I regret to have to say this, lass," he said, sighing heavily, "You need to take someone with you. It is not safe to be alone at all right now, especially if there are orcs around." Her eyes widened comically, but before she could protest, Bilbo sighed and stood up.

"M-miss Cirashala," he stuttered, turning bright red. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. "G-Gandalf said my sword is elvish," here a few of the dwarves suspiciously coughed as they rolled their eyes, but Bilbo paid them no mind. "Which apparently means it will glow blue when orcs are nearby. At least, it did when we fought the orcs. Why don't you take it with you? If it begins to glow, you can come back here right away." The hobbit was not expecting the tight hug that he received, and reeled a bit with eyes wide as she released him half a second later.

"Thank you, Mr. Baggins," she said to the poor hobbit, who was as red as a tomato. She shuffled her feet nervously as she glanced at Balin, awaiting him (or Thorin) to decide if that solution was acceptable. The two glanced at each other, before Thorin sighed and nodded slightly. She sighed in relief, grasping the unsheathed Sting (_or what would_ become_ Sting, _she thought to herself) from Bilbo, noting that it was not glowing blue at all, before heading into the trees.

XXX

Kili found a spot near the camp yet private enough to take care of his business, and Fili respectfully leaned up against the opposite side of the tree, eyes averted but yet still near enough to his brother to speak without the company overhearing them. He sighed loudly.

"Brother, what is wrong?" he asked him quietly, so to prevent the company (or anything else) from overhearing. Receiving no answer in reply, he sighed again, this time in exasperation. "I know something is wrong. You have never shut me out before. Why now? Please, tell me what it is I have done!"

The desperate, hurt tone in his voice cut through Kili like a knife through butter, and he squeezed his eyes shut as he leaned into the tree, forehead resting against the rough bark as his left arm curved over his head. He let out a shuddering sigh.

"I-I'm sorry, brother," he whispered. "I-I don't think you did anything wrong." There was a moment of silence, before his elder brother replied in a small voice, "Then why won't you talk to me?" Kili, having finished his task, pushed away from the tree and moved to lean against the rock in front of Fili, sliding down until he was sitting with his knees drawn up and his head in his hands.

"I-I don't know what is wrong," Kili whispered, feeling his brother sit down next to him. "T-there is something wrong with _me_, not you…I…" he trailed off, feeling Fili's hand rest on his shoulder. The younger dwarf swallowed nervously, before whispering, "I-you….your arm was wrapped around her this morning….and….I don't know, I don't know!" He fisted his hands in his hair above his temples, still not able to look at his brother as a stunned silence filled the air.

"_What?"_ Fili said, his tone completely shocked. The elder paused for a moment, staring at his brother with wide eyes. "Kee, I didn't mean to wake up with her like that! She must have gotten cold, and in all honesty I am so used to sleeping next to _you _that I thought….I thought she _was_ you!" Kili lifted his head slightly, looking at his brother in surprise.

"Y-you thought she was _me_?" he asked, and Fili nodded, his expression still bewildered.

"Aye," he replied, "though I did wonder how you had gotten so skinny, and smelled better." He winked at Kili, but the playful sparkle left his blue eyes as he saw that his brother didn't respond to the joke, and his expression turned serious again.

"Kee," he asked slowly. "Why did that bother you so much?" Kili swallowed, and looked down at the toes of his boots. He sighed, before standing up restlessly and turning away from his brother, his head lowered.

"Kee?" Fili asked, when Kili didn't respond. The younger's shoulders slumped.

"L-last night, I…" he trailed off, taking a deep breath. "I-she was crying, after what you said about Gloin's wife being his One, and….I-I wasn't thinking, I…I didn't mean to….to…." The younger dwarf tensed, breath hitching, and Fili's brow furrowed in concern as he stood as well.

"What happened?" he whispered, and Kili didn't speak for a moment. When he finally did, the shame in his voice was very apparent.

"I wiped her tears," he whispered. "I-I touched her face."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXX**

**A response to guest reviewer Ari- I do not think you are required to write a story to get an account :D Thank you for your review- it actually made me blush! I am seriously thinking about writing an actual self published novel very loosely based on my fan fiction, as well as a couple other plot bunnies in my head. But, they might have to wait until I get this one done-otherwise updates will be more infrequent the more my limited writing time is divided…but I am seriously thinking about it. Always wanted to be an author :D I wanted to provide that depth because I always enjoyed novels that one could sink one's teeth into, if you know what I mean (hence why I love Tolkien ;) I am glad you think my writing is amazing- after posting some chapters, I notice a few typos, but trying to unpost and repost chapters is a pain, so after it is all done I might polish it up and repost…but again, not sure. Might just live with the typos…Regarding the thing you can't wait to read about- read the part in the last chapter after the orcs are all killed- he does tell her-sort of. He apologizes for it, and she knows what he is apologizing for, but she doesn't understand yet just ****_how_**** embarrassed he is, nor does she fully understand exactly ****_why, _****because it hasn't dawned on her that he touched her "beard". Once she realizes both that, and the significance of beards and beard touching, she will understand better why he thinks he violated her, though she won't think he went quite ****_that _****far. I am so glad you are enjoying the story! I love it when I see that readers are enjoying it :D**

**Thanks to all who review, favorite, and follow (and those who have been patient with me as life strikes with computer issues and cranky, growing toddler and preschooler who, for some reason, are absolutely bound and determined to NOT sleep or let mommy write….sigh….) **

**You guys have been fantastic! I had 115 reviews and had my story up for nearly 2 months before I got any flames (meaning nitpicky criticism that wasn't constructive at all and seemed more derogatory than anything else), and since it's technically my attempt at a rare "good" sue story, I find that incredibly astonishing! You guys have made me very happy indeed :D :D :D**


	40. Chapter 40

_**I do not own any of the characters or the Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC) those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reull Tolkien, and without his genius, this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.**_

_**Please review! I love getting them-they keep me encouraged! J**_

Fili stood stock still, eyes wide and mouth hanging open with disbelief, hoping-no, _praying _that he had heard wrong.

"Y-you touched her _face_?" he asked slowly, the shock evident in his tone. Kili shivered, before whispering, "Aye." Turning around, he was completely unprepared for what happened next.

Fili's right fist collided with the side of Kili's face, sending the young dwarf straight to the ground. Kili's hand shot to his rapidly darkening cheek, looking up at his angry brother with wide, shocked eyes. The blonde dwarf stood above him, fists clenched at his sides, face visibly angry.

"Kili, what in Durin's name were you thinking?" he growled lowly, mindful of his surroundings and the potential dangers even in his furious state. "You _touched _her face! Aren't you aware that, if she was a dwarf woman, you would have touched her beard?!" Kili nodded, face reddening in shame as he averted his eyes.

"I-I didn't mean to," he whispered, and Fili's eyebrows shot up.

"You didn't _mean _to?" he spat. "Kili, you _violated_ her!"

"Brother, I swear I didn't mean to!" Kili replied, fear evident in his tone. Fili opened his mouth to continue, when the sound of boots scraping against dirt reached their ears. The young heir looked up in the direction the noise came from, and froze.

XXX

Cirashala stood stock still, blue eyes wide as she stared at the two brothers. It was immediately evident that Fili had struck Kili, given their stances. And, although her ears were in no way as good as an elf's, she was still able to make out nearly their entire conversation, having been heading back toward camp when she had come upon them.

She swallowed quickly, her grip tightening on the hilt of Bilbo's sword as it pointed toward the ground at her side, which she had been forced to carry given that Bilbo hadn't handed her its sheath. She looked from one to the other, a shocked expression on her face.

"I-I'm sorry," she stammered, breaking the tense silence. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop, I…" Kili's face paled at the mention of eavesdrop, his dark eyes widening. She swallowed, looking at Fili.

"W-what are you talking about?" She asked quietly, confusion and just a hint of fear in her voice. "Kili didn't violate me. Why would you accuse him of such a thing?" Fili's eyes widened, before glancing at his brother. His eyes narrowed, and he looked at her.

"He touched your face," Fili said simply, frowning when a confused expression crossed her face.

"Huh?" she asked, glancing at Kili. "I-I will admit, it was a bit…unexpected, a-and I…wasn't sure…about it, but…._violated_?" Fili looked at her, recognition dawning on his face at the completely bewildered expression on hers. He sighed heavily.

"You have no idea, do you?" he asked quietly, and she shook her head. She looked at Kili, who had stood up but was still looking at the ground, shame in his features as the bruise on his face stood out against his pale skin. Fili glanced at his brother, before looking back at Cirashala.

"You remember what I told you, about dwarves and their hair?" he asked, and she nodded. He took a deep breath. "Well, with dwarves….let's just say….he shouldn't have done what he did. In fact, there are laws against it, with_ severe_ punishments." Her eyes widened considerably as Kili dropped down to his knees right where he had been standing.

"Milady, please," he whispered, releasing a shuddering breath. "Please-I beg your forgiveness, though I do not deserve it." He looked up at her, eyes glistening with tears of shame. She shook her head, and watched as Kili lowered his, wrapping his arms around himself.

"No," she whispered, before looking straight at Kili. "No, I won't forgive you." His breathing hitched as his face crumpled, mostly hidden by his dark locks. Fili looked at her in stunned defeat, and she held up her hand, moving to crouch in front of the despondent young dwarf.

She placed her hand on Kili's shoulder, feeling his shoulders shaking and hearing the slightly muffled sobs, and her eyes softened.

"I won't forgive you," she said quietly, no hostility in her tone, "Because there is nothing to forgive." The young dwarf's head shot up, completely stunned as his wet face came into view. Behind him, his brother's face was equally stunned.

"W-what?" he whispered, swallowing. It wasn't quite a smile she gave him (her not being able to smile with her grief quite yet), but her eyes bore a look of reassurance as she squeezed her shoulder. "I-I don't understand. I _viol—" _She held up her hand, silencing him, and he looked at her, a question in his eyes.

"You did not violate me," she whispered. "Your laws may say such a thing, but I could tell that you were just trying to help me feel better, am I right?" He nodded fervently.

"Aye," he replied, "I-I could tell you were in pain, a-and I just wanted to help." She nodded.

"I know." She stood up, offering her hand. He looked at her for a moment, hesitating, before reaching up and grasping her hand. She helped him stand to his feet, squeezing his hand before letting go. She went to pass him, but stopped and looked over her shoulder for a moment.

"And I am no lady," she said, "Just a simple peasant. No need to call me otherwise."

Unseen in the shadows, a pair of brown eyes watched as she made her way back to camp, the two brothers walking protectively behind her, a warm smile spread across the old, wise face.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXX**

**A response to guest reviewer-Guest- I know this is a very short chapter compared to my usual ones, but you asked for another chapter up soon, so here you go :D This is kind of a bridge chapter, closing the mini-arc about the whole face touching incident, and I felt honestly that this was a good spot to end this particular mini-sub arc. I will be starting the next chapter right after I post this, though given that it is already 9 pm here where I live, I cannot promise that the next chapter will be up today. I also am babysitting my friends two kids in addition to my own (all four of them aged 4 and younger) until 6:30 pm tomorrow so while I might attempt to get the next chapter up tomorrow, I cannot promise it then either :[ But I will do my best :) Thanks for reviewing! If you put your name (or a name) on another review, then I will respond by name next reply :D**

**In response to guest reviewer Ri-chan- It's not so much that it was a good/bad review thing, it was more that all they did was nitpick a typo and accuse me of using passive voice throughout the whole first chapter. Considering that a)they got the grammatical concept incorrect, and b) that most of my first chapter was comprised of flashbacks, what I had done seemed to be fairly appropriate. It is a huge pain in the you know what to try and repost existing chapters, so I will just let my typos be…that was all they said, except for the phrase "for shame" indicating to me that it was likely someone who was just trying to be rude or a flame. Now, I have gotten some reviews with feedback that I can actually use, and that is constructive and not condescending, and ****_those _****I appreciate, because they help me improve as a writer. I am sure that after 40 chapters that I have improved throughout the course of the story itself as a result. I am aware that I cannot please everyone, but I do have a philosophy-if a person doesn't like my story they don't have to read it. They don't have to be mean about it either. And you will probably be happy to note this ends the cheek touching sub-mini-arc :D And I am trying to be medically accurate as much as possible (I couldn't ask my nurse practitioner mother in law if someone could survive a warg bite, for example, but ****_could _****ask her how much blood a person can lose and still function, albeit dehydrated and anemic, and she said about half their supply, which would make Cirashala still being alive doable as long as no major organs were irreparably damaged or spleen was ruptured, which they weren't in this case. Bruised maybe, but not ruptured) and my extended family's knowledge plus my own (was pre-med in University then decided to stay home until my children are old enough for school full time before heading back-also have to work through a sleep disorder first as well) So the reference to bleeding practices was knowledge that I already knew, thus by extension my character does as well (she is loosely based off me). **

**Thanks to all who review, favorite, and follow! I love you guys! 8 reviews for last chapter! Woohoo :D :D :D you made me one happy girl! :D**


	41. Chapter 41

_**I do not own any of the characters or the Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC) those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reull Tolkien, and without his genius, this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.**_

_**Please review! I love getting them-they keep me encouraged! J**_

Cirashala had quite a bit of trouble sleeping. She had returned to camp along with the brothers, before going to sleep on her own bedroll. Since they were in a valley as opposed to on the mountaintop, the air was a little warmer, and the heat from the fire being trapped within their circle by the surrounding rocks was sufficient to keep her warm. However, she hadn't realized that in the past few days she had gotten used to sleeping between the brothers, and part of her missed the warmth and security that they had offered.

She also had difficulty sleeping because images of the skirmish earlier that evening kept clouding her mind. She kept replaying the harrowing moments, where, had it not been for the brothers either killing her opponent or warning her of their presence, she would have certainly died, or at least been badly injured.

Turning over again with a sigh, she fingered the bandage around her forearm. She heard the soft sound of boots scraping across dirt, and her eyes opened to see Balin looking down at her. The old dwarf knelt down beside her, smiling.

"Cannot sleep, lassie?" he asked softly, not wishing to wake the others. She nodded slightly, before sitting up. She wrapped her blanket around her form as she leaned back against the rock behind her, the warmth from it soothing her aching back.

"My body must have muscles I never knew I had, at least until now," she muttered, squinting in the light of the fire with stray wild curls around her face. The old dwarf chuckled as he sat down beside her.

"Traveling and mountain climbing tend to do that to you," he said, "Especially if you are not used to it." The white haired dwarf sat silently for a moment, watching the sparks of the fire rise as Bifur, the second dwarf on watch along with Balin, added another log to the slowly waning flame.

"That was a very kind thing you did," he said quietly, and she looked at him in confusion. He looked at her, respect shining from his old eyes. "I am quite sure that young Kili won't forget it." Her eyes widened, before they dropped to her lap.

"You saw," she stated, and the old dwarf nodded, looking somewhat sheepish. "Aye, lass. After you left to attend to your…_business_, I began to have regrets letting you go off on your own so soon after the orc attack, so I followed you." She gasped, flushing in embarrassment as she glared at him, and he held up his hand.

"Now I didn't watch you, so don't go thinking that," he admonished sternly. "I would never do such a thing. I turned my back, but I was near enough that I could have aided you, should more orcs appear."

She looked at him for a moment, before relaxing. She sighed, picking at small fuzzballs on her blanket.

"They could have died," she whispered. "Protecting me. I-I am not…_good _enough to fight against the orcs. I-I swore I would defend you all, but it was I who needed defending. They wouldn't even let me stand in front of them." Balin's eyes softened as he looked at her.

"No, they wouldn't," he said quietly. "Dis raised those lads rightly. They would never stand aside and allow a woman to be injured in their defense, whether she swore an oath or not." She looked up at the old dwarf, and he could see the hesitation, fear and uncertainty in her gaze.

"Then how am I supposed to fulfill my oath if they, or any of you, won't _let _me defend you?" she asked. Balin sat in thought for a few minutes, until his gaze landed on the sheathed sword next to her, and smiled.

"Learn how to defend yourself," he replied, looking at her. "Allow them to fight their own enemies without worrying for your safety." She eyed the sword, and then the bow with trepidation.

"I won't ever be as good with my weapons as any of you," she replied quietly, "But I will do my best." The dwarf smiled.

"That is all anyone can ever do," he replied. She looked at him again, biting her lip.

"Mr. Balin?" she asked, and the dwarf looked at her. "H-how in the whole of Middle-earth am I supposed to learn how to wield my weapons if I can barely move by the time I get into camp?"

This time, the dwarf's chuckles rang out through their campsite, earning him a few creative curses and gestures from his_ previously_ asleep comrades.

XXX

Kili woke as the sun was just beginning to rise. The burden he had carried the day before had been lifted from his shoulders, and he breathed deeply of the fresh morning air. He sat up and yawned, wincing as the movement tugged at the bruise on his cheek. He fingered it tenderly, feeling his beard beneath his hand and knowing that he had deserved the painful bruise-and much more.

He knew very well the penalty for touching a woman's beard against her will- he would have lost his own, along with imprisonment. He had had a terrible struggle to grow a proper beard, despite having had fuzz on his face since he was born, and had even resorted to applying bird dung to it one time (a surefire remedy, according to the admittedly _very_ drunk full bearded healer).

Much to the chagrin of the young and foolish dwarf, he discovered the next morning that the particular bird the healer had _acquired _the concoction from had rather acidic matter, causing incredibly painful blisters on his face that took a week to heal. The thought of losing his sparse beard after all that in return for something he had done, especially when he had done it without thinking, had been terrifying. The young woman had no idea how much respect she had earned from him and his brother when she had forgiven him the night before. For such an offense, though rare, had _never _been forgiven in the history of longbeard dwarves that Kili knew of.

He glanced at Cirashala's bedroll, brow furrowing when he saw it empty. He stood up, and glanced around camp. Not seeing any sight of her as Bombur prepared breakfast, he made his way to the opening in the circle of rocks. A flash of light off to the side caught his eye, and he turned to see what it was, only for his eyes to widen in astonishment as he ducked his body behind the jutting out stone, peeking over it as he stared at the sight before him.

Cirashala stood there, sword unsheathed as she went through her motions, eyes focused and jaw set in determination. She thrust and parried, swung around and swiped at the knees and brought her sword back up toward the neck of her invisible opponent. His trained eye immediately spotted several errors in her stance and execution, and he noted the slight wobble of her sword as her arms trembled. A bead of sweat dripped down the side of her face, cheeks red with exertion, but she didn't stop.

She had replaced the two braids behind her ears with one long one down her back, though the two small braids beginning at the top of her forehead still wound down into the single braid behind her back. She panted heavily as she paused suddenly, her breath misting before her as the early morning sun glinted off her light auburn hair.

_How long has she been out here, _he thought to himself. _She is already tired, and she will exhaust herself before we even break camp. _

"She needs to stop," a quiet voice sounded behind him, and Kili didn't need to turn around to know his brother was watching as well. "She won't be able to keep up if she doesn't." The two pairs of eyes met, before they approached her.

She looked up at them as they stopped in front of her, shaking her head.

"It is impossible to separate you two, isn't it?" she asked. The two looked at each other, grinning.

"Mahal help the person who tries," Kili replied, before looking at her with a concerned expression. "You should stop." She shook her head.

"I have to learn to defend myself," she argued, "I don't want anyone else getting hurt if I can't." The young heirs shared a look, before turning back to her.

"You won't be able to keep up with us if you tire yourself out before we even start," Fili pointed out, and she looked in the direction of camp, before nodding in defeat.

"Right," she replied, sheathing her sword at her hip. She brought the back of her hand to swipe across her forehead, brushing the sweat off. She went back in toward camp, and began to pack up her bedroll. The two watched her, shaking their heads in wonder.

"Training tonight," Fili said simply, and Kili nodded.

_Yes, _he thought. _If she could defend herself better, maybe she won't need us to protect her anymore. _

That strange feeling tugged in his chest again, and he watched as she hoisted her pack on her shoulders and followed the dwarves as they wound down the path, continuing on their journey.

_But, what if I don't _want _to stop protecting her? _


	42. Chapter 42

_**I do not own any of the characters or the Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC) those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reull Tolkien, and without his genius,this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.**_

_**Please review! I love getting them-they keep me encouraged! J**_

They wound their way through the valley, climbing up and down small hills and winding through copses of short pines, their growth stunted by their elevation. The cool breeze blew through the tall grasses and wildflowers at their feet, making the grasses move in waves. The warm sun overhead shone on the summer growth, causing the bright wildflowers to appear very vibrant.

Yet, Kili's thoughts weren't on wildflowers, or grasses, or warm sun, but rather on the owner of the grey cloak fluttering in the slight breeze ahead of him. He couldn't help but see how the sun made her hair shine, despite the obvious tangles and dirt from travel. Despite knowing her a little better than he had in Rivendell, when she had been a complete stranger, he still found that she held a great deal of mystery and intrigue to him.

He found himself wondering why she seemed to be devoid of the usual prejudices that surrounded dwarves in Middle-earth. Even Bilbo at their first meeting had been appalled at the dwarves, thinking them to be mindless, uncourteous and rude heathens.

_Well, given that we DID barge into his home, apparently uninvited, and helped ourselves to his food, ale, and bathroom, maybe his thoughts had some merit, _the young dwarf thought with a small smile. _Of course, we DID do him a favor-imagine him returning to his home after the quest is over to all that spoiled food!_

Humming absentmindedly, he untied his bow from where he carried it on his back, and drew an arrow, dangling it loosely in his hand.

If there were any meat to be found, he would make sure it turned into a delicious fire-roasted supper.

XXX

Cirashala breathed deeply of the mountain air, her altitude sickness of the previous days finally beginning to dissipate. She noticed that she wasn't huffing as much as she had been previously, even though her body still ached considerably. She also noticed that she was using the pain tea less, now only taking it in the morning and at night.

What she _really _longed for above all else at the moment, however, was a hot bath. If she were honest with herself, she would even welcome a cold one-just as long as she could get the orc blood, dirt and sweat residue off her body. She knew that Lord Elrond had packed soap for her, and while she herself wasn't fond of the smell of roses either (she had heard a few mentions about the dwarves unwelcome experience with the elvish scent in passing) she was beginning to feel quite clammy.

She was also beginning to stink, and in all honesty, though she would never say it to the dwarves outright, so were they. Despite missing the security of Fili and Kili's presence the night before, a small part of her had been relieved that she didn't need to sleep next to them, their growing aroma beginning to make her realize just exactly _why _Bilbo had mentioned them needing more than sage in their encounter with the trolls.

_It is a fact of life, I suppose, _she thought to herself as she walked. _But it doesn't mean it has to be pleasant. _

As the sun began to wane, she could see a slightly larger copse of trees ahead, and her eyes widened when she saw the light of the setting sun glinting off what appeared to be a mountain stream flowing out from it. She dearly hoped that was where they planned on camping for the night, because at the moment her only thoughts were to do _something _about the stench permeating her nostrils.

In all honesty, she was quite surprised that an orc hadn't smelled them out from miles away by now.

XXX

Thorin spotted the copse of trees, noting the clear stream and the boulders that would aid in providing shelter as well, and called a halt when the company reached it. They began to set up camp as normal, when Thorin spoke.

"Oin, Gloin, let Cirashala get the fire going," he instructed, earning surprised looks from the two dwarves in question, as well as from the female in question, who had been about to help Fili and Kili gather wood for said fire.

"B-but, Thorin," Gloin sputtered, looking unimpressed as he glanced toward the young woman, "Shouldn't we get a fire going sooner rather than later? I am sure we are all hungry." There were several murmurs of agreement amongst the company, and several of the dwarves cast questionable glances in the young female's direction. Thorin's eyebrow raised, and he crossed his arms.

"Fili and Kili have asked for permission to train her," Thorin replied, glaring at Gloin for daring to question his orders. "And as such, she will begin by proving that she can handle a simple task such as starting a fire. If she cannot succeed with their help, then the responsibility falls on their shoulders." He cast a pointed look at the two brothers, who glanced uncertainly between each other, before nodding to Thorin.

"I suggest you do not question my orders, Gloin," Thorin finished, looking pointedly at his distant cousin. Gloin nodded, grumbling under his breath. Cirashala gulped a bit as she felt several eyes boring into her, but tried to show that the intimidation had not gotten to her.

She immediately rifled through her pack, pulling out the tinder and flint and steel that Lord Elrond had given her. She set it by the site she deemed suitable for the fire, noting that the wind wasn't blowing too heavily, and that the boulders near them would also shelter the light from being overly visible. She used her hands to scrape all the pine needles out of the area, clearing the space. Fili crouched down beside her and looked at her, Kili standing next to him.

"Are you sure you know how to do this, or will you need aid?" the elder asked quietly. She looked him in the eye.

"I have built fires before, Fili," she replied, hoping that her nervousness didn't show. "I can manage." He nodded in approval and stood up, he and his brother watching as well. She spotted some stones near the base of the boulders, and one by one hauled them over to the fire site, placing them in a circle. Fili and Kili had set the wood they gathered from the small copse next to the site, and she went over to the trees and gathered some pinecones as well, knowing they burn easily.

She returned to the fire pit, and placed a small pile of tinder in the center. She added some dry pine needles to the top, and took the flint in her right hand. She leaned over the small pile, striking the flint rapidly with the steel, eliciting sparks. For a tense minute, the dwarves watched as the sparks didn't catch, and she moved her flint and steel closer to it.

She struck it rapidly again, and suddenly a slight wisp of smoke began to rise from the pile. She set the flint and steel next to her, and brought her head down next to the smoking tinder. She blew on it softly, cupping her hand on the other side, and a tiny flame arose from the pile of tinder. She added a pinecone to it, then another, each lighting quickly, and the young heirs grinned.

She added the branches to the fire, small ones first, then larger ones on top, making sure to evenly space them around the growing flame, stacking them in a sort of cone shape so the ends wouldn't burn as quickly. As the flame began to light up the rocks, several of the dwarves smiled at each other and the young woman, and a few let out relieved sighs.

She stood up, brushing off her knees, and looked to Thorin, who nodded slightly. Bombur shot a huge grin her way, before hustling to his pack to begin preparing supper. Kili had managed to hit a deer, and Bombur had just started skinning and dressing it, when the heirs approached Cirashala. She looked up from her bedroll at the two as they strode up, and they both crossed their arms. Fili glanced at her weapons, then back at her.

"Training time."

XXX

They led her to a small clearing within the copse of trees, still in full view of the campsite, but out of the way of their companions. Cirashala had strapped her sword to her side, and her quiver to her back. She had a feeling this training session would be with her sword, not her bow, given that the sun was steadily going down and they would be with only firelight soon enough.

_Best learn how to wield my sword with my quiver on, _she thought to herself. _Since it will likely be on me should we come across orcs anyway._

Fili whispered something to Kili, and the younger nodded, pointing toward a small boulder about ten yards away. Fili nodded, and walked over to the boulder, placing 10 pinecones along the top of it. She looked at the elder, before looking at Kili. The younger was watching his brother, instructing him to adjust a few of the pinecones, before turning toward her, a serious look on his face.

_So it's to be archery first, then._

She was a bit surprised, but trusted them to know what they were doing. After all, they were very well trained warriors, while she had merely been self taught and highly inexperienced. She would have thought they would do sword first, but then reasoned that they probably wished her to be as far away from immediate fighting as possible.

She approached Kili and stood next to him, attentiveness in her gaze. She did not reach for her weapons, because she had not been told to, resolving to listen carefully and follow directions. The young dwarf looked at her, and she could see the clear transition to "trainer" in his expression.

Fili returned to stand behind them out of the way, leaning against a boulder with his arms crossed in front of him to watch. Kili cleared his throat.

"I would begin by telling you a history of the bow, and you would normally learn how to make your own before you would begin to train," he began, "But, as we do not have a lot of light left for shooting, and since you need to learn to wield you weapons quickly, I will find time to explain such things later." She nodded, not speaking.

Fili rolled his eyes. Leave it to his younger brother to be impatient and get right down to the heart of the matter. Though he was passionate about his bow, he had been incredibly impatient to get out on the archery range, and as such his first bow was sloppy work in his haste. Thorin had insisted that, if he were to choose this weapon, he would first have to make one that would not harm himself or others during its use, and Kili's impatience had unfortunately led to him being even further delayed as he had lost valuable time in creating a worthy and safe weapon. He looked up as Kili continued.

"The bow is used for hunting, but can also be a valuable weapon in battle," he said. "It has a longer range than other distance weapons, and can strike your enemies and thin their numbers before they reach you, and you are forced to use your alternate weapon. It is also good for stealth, should one wish to elude discovery." He looked at her.

"Draw your bow," he instructed, and she reached behind her, feeling for the ties that bound it to her quiver. Thankfully she had seen how Kili had tied his bow to his quiver after the orc incident in order to collect wood, and had readjusted hers accordingly. She untied it and brought it around, and looked at him for direction.

"I want you to show me your shooting stance," he instructed. "Just draw it back-no need to have an arrow on it at this time." She nodded, and looked at the pinecones, assuming them to be her "quarry". She planted her feet just a tiny bit wider than shoulder width, and drew the string back until it was just touching the corner of her mouth.

"Now release," Kili commanded, and she let the string go, not lowering it until a few counts after "shooting". He nodded, humming to himself. She turned toward him, a question in her blue eyes.

"Not bad," he said, "Especially since you taught yourself, but you need to fix your stance. You likely would have shot above and a little off to the side of the pinecones, rather than hitting them." She nodded.

"How can you tell?" she asked, and he gestured toward her feet.

"Your feet are too far apart," he replied. "They need to be shoulder width apart." She adjusted her feet accordingly, and he nodded in approval.

"Make sure your left foot is even with your target and your right foot," he said. She adjusted her feet, and he frowned, shaking his head.

"Not quite," he said, moving behind her. He bent down, gently grasping her ankle. She adjusted her balance accordingly, shifting her weight to the foot he didn't hold so she could adjust her foot position. He stood up behind her.

"Draw an arrow," he said quietly. She reached back, feeling for an arrow, and nocked it on the string, with the arrow still pointed at the ground, then raised her bow and drew it until the fletching just grazed the corner of her mouth.

"Lower your right elbow," he said, and she complied. He quietly sighed.

She jumped slightly as he moved in behind her, nudging her right arm down just a bit with his right hand. He reached up with his left, covering her hand with his, and adjusted her bow to tilt toward the right ever so slightly.

"You have to tilt the bow just a bit to keep the arrow on course," he whispered behind her, and she nodded. Letting go, he stood back.

"Aim for the first pinecone on the right," he instructed, and she turned her body slightly.

"Release," he said softly, and she loosed the arrow. It flew to the right of the pinecone, and she could hear it land in the grass beyond the boulder. She lowered her bow and sighed, ducking her head slightly.

"Sorry," she mumbled, only to hear Fili chuckle slightly.

"Didn't look too bad to me," he said. "Much better than Kili's first day of training." Kili made a low noise of warning in his throat, and she turned, seeing the younger dwarf glare daggers at his smirking elder brother.

"Never mind _my _first day," he muttered, before looking at Cirashala again. "There is a slight breeze coming from the west," he said, "and it threw your arrow off course slightly. You have to adjust just a little more toward the wind, to compensate. Had you done so, you might have hit the pinecone." She nodded.

"How will I know how much to adjust?" she asked. Kili glanced at the pinecones, then back at her.

"It takes practice, and trying until you find what works best," he said. "Go ahead and try to hit the rest of the pinecones. I know you probably won't hit them all, but just try to not hit the boulder at least. Not the best for the arrowheads, but it was the best target I could come up with, all things considered." She nodded, and began to shoot at will.

She managed to hit four of the pinecones, which in turn knocked several of the others next to them in the dust (hearing Kili behind her inform Fili to set the pinecones further apart next time to avoid it), hit the boulder twice with a wince, and sent the remaining four arrows into the grass beyond the boulder.

Kili stood next to his brother, both making sure to stay well out of range of stray arrows, until she was done and lowered her bow. Kili hummed, and she looked back at him. He nodded to her, and she could tell he was pleased with how the lesson had gone by the expression on his face.

"Why do you seem pleased?" she asked. "I didn't hit very many of the pinecones, and I hit the boulder twice after you told me not to." She looked at him in confusion, and he chuckled slightly.

"You actually did quite well, for your first lesson," he said. "But if you aren't hitting at least 8 of them at twice the distance they are now by the time we reach Erebor, then I might be concerned." He smiled at her, before glancing to Fili. The two shared a look, and nodded. Kili turned back toward her.

"I will go with you to fetch your arrows, then you will show Fili what you can do with that sword of yours," he said, and she nodded.

"Why do you have to come with me?" she asked. "They can't have gone that far." The two sighed, and Kili looked at her with a serious expression.

"Because you should not wander far from camp," he said. "It isn't safe." She took a deep breath, and released it, nodding. She picked up the arrows that were still within sight, before Kili joined her, and the two walked past the boulder in the waning light to hunt down the stray arrows.

_I swear, I feel like these dwarves are all but babysitting me, _she thought to herself in slight frustration as she glanced at Kili out of the corner of her eye. _But, I suppose that, if there are indeed orcs out there, better to be safe than sorry._

XXX

The hunt did not take long. Kili, being an experienced enough archer to have a good idea of where the arrows had gone, was able to aid her in locating them quickly. She dusted the dirt and grass off of them, before placing them back in her quiver. Kili had his bow out and an arrow knocked, but did not draw, only wishing to be ready should something surprise them. As she dusted her arrows off, he kept scanning the area around.

The sun had set behind the mountain they had just crossed over, and while there was still a warm red glow on the top of the mountain peak to the east, where they were at had fallen into shadow. They could still see, but it was definitely darker than it had been.

The last arrow had caught in the boughs near the top of one of the trees, nearly twelve feet off the ground. They looked up at it, then at each other. Kili opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, she held up her hand.

"I can climb, it is near the top where there are thinner branches, and I am lighter than you," she said. He looked at her for a moment as though he wished to argue, but then shut it and nodded his head slightly, conceding the point.

"Be careful, and leave your quiver down here," he said. "The branches may be thin, but the needles are thick and close together, and I don't want your quiver to get stuck." She nodded, taking her quiver off and setting it against the trunk of the tree. She eyed where the arrow was, then stretched out her arms.

She grabbed a hold of one of the branches about three feet above the ground, hoisting herself upon it. As her right foot found its perch, she reached up above her to grasp another branch, steadying herself. She began the short yet seemingly long climb up the tree, having to worm her way around thin branches thickly clustered with pine needles. Her hair caught a few times, and then she tucked the 14 inch long braid in her tunic, solving that problem.

The branches beneath her feet began to bow slightly as she stepped, and her jaw tightened. She glanced at the ground, then back up where the arrow sat, entangled in the pine needles about six inches above her.

She slowly stepped onto the next branch above, as close to the tree as she could. She reached up to grab the arrow, but just as she could feel the fletching in her grasp, the branch beneath her gave way.

"Kili!" she cried as her feet slipped off the branch.

The arrow tumbled out of the branch, following its owner as she crashed through branches and careened toward the ground, a strangled cry emitting from her lips as her eyes squeezed tightly shut.

XXX

As soon as he heard the strangled cry, Kili threw down his bow and held up his arms. He barely had enough time to look up before she crashed into him, sending the two of them down on the ground in a heap.

They laid there for a few minutes, breathing hard. The young dwarf had landed on his back, knocking the wind out of him, Cirashala's face buried in his shoulder. He could feel her trembling, his arms wrapped around her shoulders as hers squeezed his. He gasped for air, and she shifted so she was looking down at him. He suddenly seemed to lose the ability to breathe altogether, his eyes widening as he realized her face was only about six inches from his.

"A-are you all right?" she asked him. His cheeks flamed in embarrassment, and he was thankful that it was quickly getting dark. He closed his eyes tightly.

"A-aye," he whispered, swallowing. "C-could you, w-would you mind getting off me?" Her eyes widened, and she hurried to scramble off of him. Her knee came down in a rather sensitive place in her hurry, eliciting a loud gasp from Kili, followed by a groan. She stood up, eyes widening as he curled in on himself.

"S-s-sorry!" she stammered, biting her lip as her own cheeks flushing in embarrassment as she looked _anywhere_ exceptthe young dwarf.

"'s all right," he gasped. He sucked in a couple of deep breaths, letting them out slowly, before crawling to his feet. He placed a hand next to the tree trunk, taking a couple more deep breaths and letting them out slowly. Seeing movement off to the side, he glanced over. Cirashala held his bow out to him, having already donned her quiver. He took it, nodding slightly as he eyed her with concern.

"A-are you all right?" he asked quietly. She nodded.

"A few bruises and _scratches_," she said, remembering the night before, and the two young dwarves' fussing over her tiny orc wound. "But I am all right." She paused, watching as he let go of the tree and stood up, picking up his arrow from where it too had fallen on the ground.

They began to walk back toward camp, the smell of cooked venison wafting through the trees making their stomachs growl slightly and their mouths water. The moon began to rise, chasing the setting sun and bathing the valley in soft moonlight.

"Thank you," she whispered next to him. He looked at her, pale face glowing slightly in the moonlight as she looked at the ground, eyes downcast. The loose strands of her hair framed her face in a slightly wild manner, strewn with some pine needles from her fall. Her eyelashes appeared dark in contrast to her pale face, and he noticed the sad expression in her eyes.

"You're welcome," he whispered as the training clearing came into sight.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXX**

**A response to guest reviewer Ari- Glad to oblige :D Yeah, she has a lot more patience and compassion than the dwarves give her credit for. Plus, she is looking beyond the actual action and to the motive behind it, something that many of the inhabitants of Middle-earth in past and present have not always been so wise to do. The action he did on the surface would have incurred vast punishment, however his motive was not sinister, unlike the reason for the punishment's existence. He genuinely was just trying to comfort her, and she saw this and accepted it and forgave it. Looking to a person's heart is a bit of the crux of this whole thing-hence the title ;) She didn't just his action based on his action, but also on the motive behind it. Similarly, it is just like her wishing the dwarves would judge her based on the motives of her own heart, not just her race. As to the novel-that won't likely happen til long after my FF is done, but I will consider it. I have to consider that first novels often are recommended to be no more than 100-120,000 words, and here I have already bested that with months left to go on the journey, so while I love the detail too, I would have to be very good and clever at editing should I go to write my own novel :) And yes, Balin is a wise sweetheart :D He is getting a bit of a soft spot for Cirashala, and it is nice that some of the dwarves are on her side now :D Thank you kindly, and I am glad you are enjoying the story!**

**Thanks to all who review, favorite, and follow-you guys rock! :D :D :D**


	43. Chapter 43

_**I do not own any of the characters or the Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC) those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reull Tolkien, and without his genius,this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.**_

_**Please review! I love getting them-they keep me encouraged J**_

They entered the improvised training grounds, and Cirashala glanced at Fili with a confused expression, trying to figure out just what on earth he was doing. He had taken two fairly straight branches about two and a half feet long, broken off the twigs that stuck out, and was just finishing up smoothing out the boles with one of his knives. He looked up as the pair came into view, and his hand stilled. Regarding the young woman with a slight smirk, he gestured toward her hair with one of the branches, still littered with pine needles.

"Lost an arrow in a tree, I take it?" he asked, a trace of well hidden amusement in his voice. Cirashala scowled at him, and Kili suddenly seemed to find the task of removing any stray stones or pinecones out of the practice area to be of peculiar interest. Fili paid it no mind, knowing that, to an inexperienced fighter, any obstruction could cause injury, no matter how small. Obviously, they couldn't make the ground completely smooth, but they could remove obvious hazards.

He finished his task, sheathing his knife, before holding one of the branches out to her. She glanced at him, then back at the branch, recognition dawning on her face.

"A training 'sword', I take it?" she asked, and the young heir nodded.

"All swordsmen typically start their training with a wooden sword for safety," he said, "Since one too inexperienced may become injured with their own sword, or injure their sparring partner, until they become more accustomed to the movements. And, since we cannot very well carve you a training sword in the span of a few minutes, this will have to do." She nodded.

"Good idea," she replied, and he continued.

"Like Kili said with the bow, I would normally begin by teaching you the history of the sword, you would forge one yourself, and the like," he stated, much as his brother had done earlier, "However, we are limited on time." He gestured toward her "sword".

"Show me a ready stance," he instructed, remembering that she had mentioned back at the stream outside Rivendell that she had said she had been taught some. She raised her training sword up, right hand above the left where the hilt would be, and planted her feet with her left foot slightly in front of her right for balance, and he nodded in approval.

"Good," he said, "Now, you said you learned the basic positions, correct?"

"Aye," she said, and he crossed his arms, leaning against a tree.

"Show me."

XXX

Half an hour later, Cirashala was sporting several bruises, and Fili a few as well, the experienced swordsman having slight difficulty in anticipating her inexperienced and highly random movements. They stood in front of each other, the young woman panting, even though Fili had hardly broken a sweat.

"One more, and this time, try to block as many of my moves as you can, and attempt to get a hit in," he instructed, bruises earned during training sessions nothing new to him. "Give it all you have." She nodded, raising her sword.

Fili found he was quite enjoying the challenge of having to anticipate the moves of someone completely unpredictable. He had had some of that passionate, enthusiastic fighting in an opponent when Kili first started his training. But, as Kili learned and grew as a swordsman, his predictability had also grown, and now the two could duel for an hour before one of them won, each being able to anticipate the other's movements.

_She has the same wild, reckless and passionate fighting spirit about her that Kili has,_ he thought to himself as he found himself hard pressed to block her wild and rapid strikes. _Like him, I only hope that it doesn't get her hurt._

XXX

Fili got in several hits, despite the quick assault by the apparently agile young woman. Like Kili, she seemed to know that her strength could not match his, and so opted for an advantage in the fact that she could outmatch him in agility. What confused him, however, was that she did not cease her onslaught, even though by now he would have either seriously injured or killed her several times, had they been using real swords and it had been a real fight.

He finally got a very good hit on her though, landing it on her still tender warg bite, and she cried out in pain as she grasped it. His eyes widened.

"Cirashala, I am so sorry!" he cried, lowering his sword and moving toward her. "Are—" he got cut off as her training sword thrust straight into his chest, causing him to stop short and look at her with wide eyes. Her focused blue eyes never left his, though her jaw was clenched in pain. And she didn't lower her sword.

By now, most of the company had been watching their sparring out of curiosity, and they looked back and forth between the two. A few fingered the hilts of their weapons as she refused to lower her branch, eyes slowly narrowing.

"Cirashala, why aren't you lowering your sword?" Kili asked her after several tense minutes, Fili confused and a bit unsure of what to do. Her eyes never left Fili's, but her reply was directed at Kili.

"He hasn't said stop," she replied calmly. "I will not lower my guard until he declares our spar over." Fili's eyes widened slightly, as did several others. Dwalin and Thorin stood off to the side, but she could still see them look at each other, then back at her, their expressions unreadable. Fili gaped at her for a second, before smirking.

"Stop," he said simply, and she immediately lowered her sword, bending a bit at the waist to take a deep breath. Several of the company members let out the breaths they had been holding, hands leaving their hilts. Kili glanced at Fili, then at their uncle. Thorin looked hard at her for a moment, before nodding in approval. Without a word, he turned and went to his bedroll, the others following suit.

The two heirs grinned at her as she straightened up, arms and legs shaking slightly from her exertion.

"Well done," Fili said simply, nodding to her. "You were right-I should have stopped the spar if I was done. But I didn't, and you remained on guard, effectively 'killing' your opponent in a moment of distraction." She took a deep breath and let it out, visibly relaxing slightly.

"Are you all right?" Kili asked, gesturing toward her side. She glanced down, and nodded.

"It's fine," she said. "Might bruise slightly come morning, but then again, I am sure there are quite a lot of places that will bruise." She looked wryly at Fili, who chuckled.

"That is the price of training, I am afraid," he replied, "Though I do apologize." She held up her hand.

"Don't," she said simply. "I should have blocked the hits." The two nodded at her in approval, and Fili's expression turned serious.

"You are good in the sense that an experienced fighter cannot predict your moves," he said, "But you left several gaps in your defense. That is how I was able to get so many hits on you, despite you hitting me in the process. A fight is not won if you are killed as well as your opponent." She bit her lip, unsure if what she had to say would get her in trouble with her trainer, but decided to speak.

"I would rather seek survival than to merely win a fight," she replied. "I only learn to fight because I must, for my safety and that of your company. I do not fight for sport." The two nodded.

"And that is how it should be," Fili replied, sharing a look with his brother. Thorin had instilled that concept into them at a very young age, having seen far too many battles and far too many lives lost to ever treat it as mere sport. They had had plenty of sparring experiences in their young lives, of course, and would often enjoy the challenge of besting each other, but deep down they always knew that it was training, whether one enjoyed it or hated it.

Cirashala stood there patiently, looking from one to the other, her training sword dangling loosely in her hand. Bombur called supper, and they glanced over to the now roasted venison, before back at each other.

"I think that is enough training for one night," Fili replied as Kili looked hungrily at the roasted meat. Cirashala nodded, thanking the two before making her way to her pack to collect her bowl.

_Oh, I am going to regret this tomorrow,_ she thought to herself as she sat down shakily on her bedroll. A scent that was decidedly not venison reached her nostrils, and she glanced down at the sweat dampened tunic in disgust._ I don't care if it is cold, I WILL bathe in that stream tonight._

XXX

After supper had been eaten, and the company, save those who were on watch, were bedded down, Cirashala, who had feigned sleep, sat up. Bifur and Oin were on watch together, and she was immensely grateful for that, the first being sometimes not quite aware of his surroundings, the second half deaf.

They were both seated looking away from her, and so she very quietly grabbed her soap and her spare clothing out of her bag, and proceeded to creep out of camp as quietly as she could. She brought her weapons with her, hoping that, since her sword was likely of elvish make too, she could use it to warn her should any orcs get too close.

She made her way through the trees as silently as she could, hood drawn up so as to attempt to not draw attention to herself. The moon was full, aiding her in providing enough light to see rather easily, all things considered. The night was fairly quiet, the only really audible sound being the gurgling of the stream as it passed over rocks and crickets chirping their midnight songs in the tall grasses on the other side. She stepped up to the stream, and, seeing a small inlet surrounded by trees and brush toward the right, began to make her way toward it, hoping that the foliage would aid in concealing her.

She saw a very small opening in the bushes near the base of a tree, and crept toward the inlet through the opening. Her quiver caught slightly, and the rustling she heard emit from it as she attempted to untangle it sounded deafening in the fairly quiet night. She finally got it loose, tumbling backward slightly. Landing in a bush with several audible snaps of twigs, she started as she heard a slight gasp.

Her head turned toward the sound, and as her eyes beheld the source of the gasp, her face fairly flaming in mortification as her hand flew to her eyes.

XXX

Kili had slipped quietly out of camp, muttering the excuse to his brother about needing to visit a tree. He had secretly grabbed his soap, longing to get the stench of travel off himself. He was used to not bathing for days at a time, but when Cirashala had fallen on him, she had accidentally gotten some tree sap in his hair, and it was pulling on his scalp in a very irritating manner.

Finding the small inlet, he had quickly stripped down and slipped into the water. The icy chill from it elicited a sharp intake of breath, and he began to quickly scrub at the offending spot on his head, hoping to be done with it as soon as possible. The water came up to about his chest, and he planted his feet to keep from slipping on the smooth rocks.

He had just brought his head up out of the water from rinsing it, when he heard the branches snap. Wiping his tightly shut eyes quickly with the back of his hand, he opened them quickly, only to gasp in horror as he saw the source of the sound. His hands instinctively went down to cover a certain area, face and ears flaming in embarrassment as he crouched further in the cold water.

Cirashala's hand flew to her eyes, and she jumped up as quickly as she could.

"S-so-sorr—" she stammered, unable to finish the word, before flying back the way she came. His breathing came in quick gasps, and he could practically feel his heart pounding in his ears.

_S-she saw me,_ he thought in a panic. _A-a girl…saw me…bathing..._

He was quite certain he would never be able to look her in the eye again.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXX**

**A response to guest reviewer Ri-chan- No problem on the grammar mistakes- I completely understand! But, if you wish, I will correct them for you before moderating your reviews. Yes, she is beginning her training finally, but it will take her a while before she is good enough to passably spar. Yes, Balin is becoming a father figure for her, and it is nice that she has earned his trust :D I will do my best to keep calm and write with my little ones-they were not too nice to me while I had to do errands today-very cranky :( But I am glad you reviewed, and glad that you enjoyed the last chapter :D **

**Thanks to all who review, favorite, and follow! I almost thought I wasn't going to get any reviews last chapter, and it made me sad :( I really look forward to them, so pretty please review this one! :D Love you all-thank you for being such dedicated readers :D I hope this chapter wasn't too choppy because of my rough day :(**


	44. Chapter 44

_**I do not own any of the characters or the Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC) those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reull Tolkien, and without his genius,this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.**_

_**Please review! I love getting them-they keep me encouraged J**_

Cirashala stumbled through the wood with her head down, face burning in embarrassment. She didn't even really pay attention to where she was going, only that she knew she must get away-far away.

_You idiot!_ She thought to herself as she ran. _Why didn't you look to make sure everyone was at camp?! He could have found YOU instead of the other way around! _

A large, cold drop hit her face, and she hastily brushed it away. More fell, the frequency increasing, until within a few minutes the rain had turned into a deluge. Eyes blinded, she suddenly found herself tripping over a stone, landing on her stomach with a loud grunt in the midst of tall grasses and wildflowers.

Looking up, her eyes widened. She was in the meadow beyond the copse of trees their camp was in, with little recollection of how she had gotten there. She scooted on her hands and knees, and looked behind her, just making out the line of trees in the distance, about a hundred yards from where she was at.

The darkness enveloped her as the full moon slipped behind the dark clouds, and she cursed under her breath, feeling very much alone and incredibly foolish for not having paid attention to her surroundings.

_Well, shit, _she thought to herself, shuddering as the wind began to pick up. The pelting rain drenched her through her cloak, and she pulled it around her. Feeling her sword bump against her leg, she glanced down, before hesitantly drawing it only an inch out of the sheath. The edges glimmered in the darkness, not fully glowing, but definitely not dark either.

Her eyes widened, and she looked around quickly, almost not daring to breathe.

_No…_

XXX

Kili crouched in the freezing cold water, listening intently as his wide eyes darted around. He had heard her footsteps fade a few minutes ago, but not until he was absolutely convinced she was no longer nearby did he dare to venture out of the water.

Clambering quickly to the bank where he had left his spare clothing, he dried off and began to tug it on quickly, shivering as the cold wind blew on his wet form. He kept glancing around fearfully, but she did not return. The rain began to fall, and within minutes he was soaking wet again. Thankfully, he had already gotten his coat on by the time it started, so he wasn't too awfully wet, all things considered.

He took a deep breath, before following the path she took back to camp.

However, he had absolutely _no_ idea what was going to happen when he returned.

XXX

Oin and Bifur's watch had finally ended, and as they stood up to wake Thorin and Dwalin, the rain began. Within seconds, the entire company was awake, darting to and fro in an attempt to get their packs and bedrolls under the slight open ended "cave" where the two great boulders came together before they got thoroughly wet.

Amidst the bustle, Thorin noticed that Fili was packing up _both _his own and his brother's things, and looked around for sign of his youngest nephew. Approaching Fili, he had to raise his voice to be heard over the now howling wind.

"Fili, where is your brother?" he shouted, ducking as a loose tree branch blew off of the tree his nephew was currently under. Fili looked up at his uncle, worry barely concealed in his blue eyes.

"He said he needed to visit a tree," he shouted back. Thorin cursed under his breath.

"When?" the dwarf king asked, and Fili looked into the wood, before back at his uncle.

"I don't know," he admitted, cursing inwardly. "I must have fallen back asleep." The young heir donned his twin swords and began to go into the woods in the direction Kili had gone, when his uncle's hand on his shoulder stopped him. He looked back, but just when Thorin opened his mouth to speak, Bilbo's voice cried out.

"Miss Cirashala?" the hobbit cried as he saw her bedroll still empty. "Where are you?" Thorin looked around the camp quickly, before letting out an explosive curse.

"Mahalu-me turg!"

XXX

Kili had gotten just close enough to camp to hear Bilbo's cry, and matched his uncle's curse under his breath.

_Where in Durin's name did she go?_ He thought to himself as he glanced back in the direction of the inlet where he had bathed. _She ran north…_

Backing up from camp until he was out of earshot, he turned and ran back toward the inlet, before turning and running in the direction she had come. Once he found her, his uncle would have no need to lecture her- Kili was going to yell at her himself for being so stupid as to wander off in the middle of a storm.

He would worry about the bathing _incident _later.

XXX

Cirashala's eyes darted around her as she crawled through the grass toward where she thought she had seen the copse their camp was in. She kept her hood up, and her body low, stopping after a few minutes to check her sword. The blue was increasing, but still faint, and she quickened her speed.

She cursed that her limbs ached so much and were so tired from her training earlier, let alone doing more walking up and down mountains in the past 8 days than she had done in the past 8 years. Her fear did not aid in keeping her arms from shaking, and she dearly hoped that her request for a grey cloak from the elves would diminish her visibility like it had done for the fellowship.

She looked up, blinking the rain out of her eyes, but in the darkness she could not make out more than about twenty feet ahead of her. A bright light suddenly laced through the sky, illuminating her path, but her mind in that moment was not on her position in relation to the dark line of trees ahead. Rather, she felt an unbidden scream rip from her throat just before the crash of thunder sounded throughout the valley.

She curled up, her body shaking as her mind remembering all too well that first flash of lightning on the ground in front of her-the one that brought her to middle-earth in the first place. She couldn't move, frozen as her body became paralyzed with overwhelming fear.

She didn't hear the footsteps that sounded above the wind, until a clawed hand grabbed her shoulder.

XXX

Kili had reached the tree line, finding no sign of Cirashala. He had just begun to turn to go back into the trees, thinking that she couldn't have possibly run beyond them, when a bolt of lightning flashed across the sky, followed by a faint scream. His head whipped around as the thunder crashed through the night, the next bolt illuminating the large meadow before him.

Seeing a dark form about fifty yards out, the young dwarf broke into a run, drawing his bow, his speed increasing as he realized the dark form was followed by two others several yards behind it.

XXX

Cirashala cried out as the orc yanked her around, swinging her fist and hitting it in the face as she kicked her leg out. She let out a strangled cry as the orc's nose crunched under her fist, pain lacing through her fingers. The orc growled, sneering at her as he grabbed her wrist with one hand and her throat with the other. She could feel the pressure increase as he leaned in, not enough to completely block air, but enough that she began to see black spots. She gasped for air as the orc pinned her to the ground and her sword to her side. Her left hand came up to try and pry his grimy hands off, but to no avail, and the orc laughed at her attempt to free herself.

She quickly reached behind her, her brain somehow acknowledging that she couldn't reach her sword, and grabbed an arrow. Yanking it out, she thrust it upward into the unsuspecting orc's throat, pushing with all her might as she brought her knee up into his groin. The orc released her tunic, gurgling as he clawed at the arrow protruding from his throat, and mustering as much strength as she could, she pushed against him in an attempt to get the brute off of her so she could draw her sword. Unfortunately the weight of the orc proved to be too much for her tired limbs, and she couldn't push him off.

Lightning flashed against the sky, and she heard the thud of the arrow as it imbedded in the orc's skull, causing the now dead creature to fall on her, nearly crushing her with its body. A rush of air left her, and as she tried to push against it again, a dark shape slid down in the grass beside her.

XXX

Glancing quickly to the north, Kili loosed two more arrows, before setting his bow down and pushing the dead orc off of the young woman. Concerned eyes looked down at her, his hand quickly grasping her throat in an attempt to find a pulse. What he didn't expect was her to cry out and swing her fist at him, and he just barely managed to catch her left hand before it made contact with his face.

Moving his hand off her throat immediately, he brought his left3`e up to protect that side of his face, while looking down at her gasping form. Frightened blue eyes opened to meet dark brown, and Kili breathed a silent sigh of relief. Another loud crack sounded, causing Cirashala's eyes to squeeze shut and the young dwarf to look up at the turbulent sky.

Without a word, he hauled her to her feet. Grasping her hand tightly, he took off at a run toward the trees, looking back frequently to make sure they weren't being followed. She stumbled after him, muscles protesting the movements. The only way she was able to even come close to keeping up with him was the adrenaline pounding through her veins, and she had no doubt as soon as they reached safety she would collapse.

XXX

They reached the tree line with no pursuers, and as soon as Kili deemed it was safe, he turned and, grabbing her arms, slammed her up against a tree. His face was mere inches from hers, and there was a thunderous expression on his face.

"What in the name of Mahal were you thinking?!" he growled, his voice still barely audible above the roaring wind as he restrained himself from shaking her on the spot. "You could have gotten yourself killed! Didn't we _tell _you not to wander off on your own?!" Cirashala visibly trembled under his piercing gaze, thinking of all things that he bore an uncanny resemblance to Thorin at the moment.

She coughed suddenly, a dry, raspy cough, and reached for her bruised throat as she winced.

"I-I'm sorry," she rasped out. Kili saw the dark marks forming on her throat and the fear in her eyes, and his expression softened. He released her arms, and stepped back, turning away slightly as he ducked his head. Her legs trembled violently, and she had to grasp the tree for a few moments. It took her a great deal of effort to keep from collapsing on the spot. The young dwarf's shoulders slumped.

"It is I who should apologize," he said so quietly she could barely hear him above the wind. "I did not mean to frighten you. I just….don't want you to get hurt." He swallowed heavily, before looking in the direction of the camp.

"We need to get back," he said, and she nodded.

"Tell…others…orcs," she rasped out, grasping her neck in pain again, and he nodded in agreement.

XXX

They headed back in the direction of camp, but had walked for no longer than two minutes when Thorin, Balin, Dwalin, and Fili ran into them. The youngest of the four ran immediately toward his brother, enveloping the startled Kili into a large hug.

"Where in Durin's name were you?" he asked, but before Kili could answer a furious Thorin strode towards them. The young prince's eyes grew large at the thunderous expression on Thorin's face as the dwarf king looked between him and the young woman.

"Thorin, I—" he began, but his uncle cut him off, grabbing his arm with a growl as he yanked him away from the group, still staying in sight but out of earshot in the howling wind.

"What do you think you are doing?" Thorin hissed as he stopped, grasping his nephew's forearm so hard his knuckles turned white. "Do you think that I am blind, that I have not noticed your growing _friendship _with the girl? You would _dare _to disgrace the line of Durin by sneaking off into the trees with a _human _woman, and a widow at that?" The way he said friendship made the blood drain from Kili's face and his eyes grow wide, knowing full well what his uncle was thinking.

"B-but I…I didn—" Thorin's glare cut him off as he pushed the young heir into a tree, instantly making Kili regret having done so to Cirashala a few moments prior. If he had looked _half _as furious as Thorin did, he could understand why she had been so afraid.

"Don't lie to me, boy!" he yelled, and Kili's eyes widened as he looked back in the direction the orcs had come from.

"Thorin, keep your voice down!" Kili said, earning a stunned look from Thorin, before that look gave way to anger.

"You _dare _to disrespect your elder?" he growled, the warning very clear in his voice. Kili trembled, but knew that he must inform his uncle of the danger lurking nearby.

"Orcs," he replied. "S-she was attacked, about fifty yards past the tree line. I shot and killed three, but there may be more." Thorin's expression changed, before his eyes narrowed as he looked through the trees in the direction they had come from.

"Did they see you come this way?" Thorin asked, looking back at his heir, his eyes hard.

"I do not think so," Kili replied, "Thorin-I _swear_, on Mahal himself, that I did not do what you think. I had heard Bilbo say that she wasn't in camp on my way back, and had seen her moving northward through the trees, and merely followed her to bring her back to camp. I saw the orcs attacking someone, and when I reached her, she was under an orc with her arrow in its throat and her neck was bruised, and there were two others about ten yards behind. I _swear_ I am telling you the truth."

His nephew's eyes looked straight into his, and Thorin could tell that, while there was fear, there was no lie. He could feel the young dwarf trembling under his grasp, and see the same expression he beheld in Rivendell when Kili had feared his reaction to asking aid from the elves. He sighed heavily, releasing the young dwarf's arm.

"Thorin," Dwalin said, approaching the two, and Thorin could see beyond him that Balin was looking at Cirashala's darkening neck while Fili looked out in the direction they had come from, hands ready to move towards the hilts of his swords. The dwarf king turned toward his companion.

"Cirashala was apparently strangled by an orc, about 75 yards north of here," Dwalin said. "She stabbed the orc with one of her arrows, but it had already pinned her. She said the next thing she knew, Kili was there, firing off two more arrows before they ran back to the safety of the trees." Thorin nodded.

"He told me the same," Thorin stated, nodding towards his youngest nephew. "We need to move out and find better, more defensible shelter. This valley has not seen the last of orcs, I believe, and from what Balin has said, there is no other shelter until we head up the high pass. Gather the others-we move as quickly as possible."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXx**

**Ok, I know I promised some of my readers that this would be the stone giants/Goblintown beginning, but then as I was writing this it occurred to me that it would be putting far too many action sequences into one chapter. So GT next chapter :) And I swear the muses have minds of their own…..half the stuff I have been writing lately just ends up coming out as I sit and type. I hope it isn't shabby-since I had to go through 8 days after Rivendell in order to get to GT, and given that neither Tolkien nor PJ have described this time in their journey, I was forced to figure out my own story….so I apologize, but I do hope everyone enjoyed it!**

**Thanks for reviewing, favoriting, and following! You guys make me a very happy author :D**


	45. Chapter 45

_**I do not own any of the characters or the Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC) those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reull Tolkien, and without his genius,this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.**_

_**Please review! I love getting them-they keep me encouraged J**_

The very damp dwarves were not happy about continuing on through the night up the pass, but they were even less happy crowded literally one on top of the other under the meager space between the boulders, and within a few minutes they were off.

Cirashala took one look at her soaking wet blanket, and groaned as she rolled it up, not even bothering to attempt to squeeze out the excess water as the rain came down. The blanket was rather heavy, and she grunted as she hoisted her pack onto her sore shoulders. She stumbled slightly, and Bofur grabbed her arm to keep her from falling.

She could tell by the looks Thorin was giving her that she was in deep trouble, but the threat of orcs nearby was taking up his attention. Though she would have preferred to _not _be moving up a mountain in the dark after a day filled with walking and training morning and night, she really did not want to meet anymore orcs.

They moved quickly and quietly through the storm, wading across the cold stream and covering about a mile before they began to climb up a narrow path. Cirashala's legs burned, and she could hear several muffled complaints behind her as Bilbo grumbled about losing the night's sleep, and being soaking wet, and about wishing he was home in his armchair by the fire, dry and comfortable.

She stumbled several times, wondering just how it was possible that her legs didn't completely give out on her after the extreme exertion she had put her body through over the past several days, then a sudden thought struck her.

_The pain tea, _she thought to herself. _It is elvish-could it be giving me energy, like the miruvor did for the fellowship over Caradhras? _

She decided that must be it, because there was absolutely no other explanation for her being able to continue on in this manner. She was confident that her body would have lost the battle with exhaustion long before now, had some other force not been at work. Stepping off to the side, she quickly dug it out of her pack, and dumped half the non drowsy mixture into her water skin, not having time to make it properly. She hoped that it would work.

Bilbo and Ori stopped by her, tugging on her arms as she stood up.

"Miss Cirashala, you cannot stop," the concerned hobbit cried.

"The orcs—" Ori added, and she held up her hand, nodding quickly.

"I know, I just needed some of my elvish tea," she replied, shouldering her pack. Bilbo and Ori looked at each other in bewilderment as she moved ahead out of earshot, sipping her tea from her water skin.

_Tea, now? _Bilbo thought. _I miss my comforts of home and all, but…now? _His expression seemed to reflect his thoughts, and Ori looked at him and chuckled slightly despite the situation.

"It is _pain _tea, Bilbo," Ori said to him as they trudged through the rain, having learned of it when he had offered her watered down ale and she had declined the other night. "She was almost strangled by an orc, or did you not see the bruises on her neck?" Bilbo's eyes widened as he looked at her.

"I must have missed it," he said, concern in his tone. "Is she all right?" Dori, who was next to Ori, nodded.

"Aye, though it was mighty foolish of her to wander off alone, _especially _after we kept telling her not to," the older dwarf grumbled. "The lass could have gotten herself killed, or at the very least drawn them back to our camp."

"Oh, let off," Ori snapped, causing both Dori and Bilbo to blink in surprise. "It bothers me sometimes that you fuss so much over me too, as though I am still a child! I can imagine, with her being told she couldn't even visit a _tree_ without privacy, that she was growing tired of it as well." He glared at his older brother, who looked slightly taken aback, before his expression hardened.

"Aye, and how many times have you gotten hurt when I _did_ let you be?" he retorted, "The fact of the matter is she shouldn't have gone so far out of camp, and out into the open either! She _knew _there were possibly orcs nearby, and she still went far beyond earshot and cover!"

"Why did she even venture so far away?" Bilbo asked, turning toward Kili. "You found her, didn't you? Did she tell you what she was doing out in the meadow?" Kili paused, face burning as he recalled the earlier _incident _in the inlet, knowing that was likely the reason she ended up so far away from camp.

"N-no, she didn't tell me," he said quickly, not looking at anyone as he tugged his hood further down to hide his face, before moving ahead to take up the space behind her, along with his brother. The trio looked at each other in slight confusion, but shrugged it off, pulling their coats and hoods in as a gust of wind blasted into the group.

XXX

The path quickly became very familiar as they began to wind up the mountain, and Cirashala quickly realized that it was just as slick as it had appeared in the movie. She grasped the damp rock face as tightly as she could, digging her broken nails into it as she stayed as far away from the edge as possible. She also realized as they climbed higher that this must be the mountain that Goblintown was under, and cursed under her breath, realizing they likely wouldn't be getting rest this night or possibly the next.

Fortunately, her pain tea was indeed the source of the energy that she was lacking, and the aches slowly faded from her legs and arms as it began to take effect. She found that, while she was still very tired (and missing the night's sleep), she was not trembling as much anymore, and was still able to keep up somewhat, though the dwarves' hardiness far outmatched hers.

She was towards the middle of the group, right in front of Ori and Bilbo, with Fili and Kili in front of her. The rain came down in torrents, and the wind blew heavily, driving the stinging rain into their eyes. Those who had hoods had a difficult time keeping them on their heads, and Cirashala was forced to pull her hood quite a bit forward to keep it from blowing off.

Unfortunately, it also decreased her visibility, and, given the incredibly steep drop to the right, she decided a wet head was preferable to falling to her death. She allowed it to blow off, resolving to see if there were any pins in her pack when she had a chance to pin her hood in place. The icy rain pelted her face, and she was forced to squint and blink rapidly just to see where she was going.

"We need to find shelter!" She heard Thorin cry out, and Fili and Kili both looked back at her with concern. _Wait, where had she heard that before?_

"Look out!" Dwalin roared, and Fili and Kili whipped their head around, eyes widening as they saw the massive boulder coming straight for the rock above them. Thorin cried out something about taking cover as the dwarves crouched into the rock face. Cirashala's heart pounded in her ribs as she threw her arms over her head to block the splintered rock from hitting her head.

_This was supposed to have happened five days ago! _

XXX

Cirashala slowly peeked out from under her arms as Balin spoke words that she had hoped she would never hear said in person.

"This is no thunderstorm! It's a thunder battle!" Balin cried. "Look!" He pointed toward the east, and her face drained of color. For there, clear as the storm around them, a giant made of stone emerged from the very bones of the mountain itself. The great beast reared up, breaking stone off the mountain it rested on, and reaching its great arm back to throw.

"Why bless me, the legends are true!" Bofur cried. "Giants! Stone giants!" The beast released the massive mountaintop, sending it flying through the blowing wind toward another giant behind them. It hit the giant in the face, causing it to fall back into the mountainside where they had been several minutes before. Bilbo's face was agape, his eyes wide with terror at the sight he never even considered seeing either.

"No, this isn't supposed to be happening! Not now!" she cried, forgetting her resolve to keep her knowledge of the future secret in her terror, and Fili looked back at her with a strange expression. Before he could speak, however, Thorin shouted.

"Take cover, you fools!" he cried, and Cirashala saw Kili grab Bofur's pack, the miner still staring in awe at the massive creatures, and shove him down into the mountainside. Bilbo had been crouching down on the path, there being little other way to see cover, but stood up rapidly. Cirashala could feel the mountain rumbling under her feet, and she literally stopped breathing as she looked at the dwarves ahead of her.

_I-I am behind Fili, _she realized, a knot of unimaginable terror gripping her stomach. _He-he was on the side that got smashed into the cliff…._

She didn't get to finish her thought, for just as in the movie, the rock began to split under Kili's feet. The young dwarf looked at his elder brother in terror.

"What's happening!" he cried as he looked at Fili, moving his leg to the eastern side of the fissure.

_He must have the answers, he must! _Kili thought. _Fee knows everything!_

"Kili, grab my hand!" Fili cried, but he was just a split second too late. The brothers faces bore looks of abject horror and terror as the stone giant had done what Kili had merely jested about that morning-separated the brothers.

"Fili, Cirashala!" he cried as Oin held him back. Fili reached for him again, foot slipping on the edge of the fissure, and Cirashala grabbed the back of his pack and pulled him back onto the rock to keep him from falling.

"Fili, no! You won't make it!" she cried. As the giant whose knees they were on got headbutted by another, they could see Thorin's side crash into the other side of the path. Breathing a sigh of relief at seeing them move safely over, Cirashala was unprepared for the lurch their side made.

Apparently Fili wasn't either, as he slipped and fell on his stomach, before managing to crawl up to where his hand could find purchase on the rock face. Cirashala and Bofur reached over, helping pull him up. As soon as the young heir's grip tightened on the rock wall, both he and Bofur wrapped their arms around her, pressing her against the wall.

"No! Grab Bilbo!" she screamed, looking at Bofur, since the hobbit was on the miner's other side. "He doesn't have gloves!" Bofur looked at the hobbit, whose hands were repeatedly slipping as he grappled for a hand hold, and grabbed his arm, pressing him up to the rock as well.

Cirashala closed her eyes and breathed deeply, praying to Eru that they would all make it out alive as they were supposed to.

XXX

Kili followed the stone giant's knees with wide eyes. If he had bothered to pay attention, he would have been grateful that his feet had found apparently solid ground to stand on. He would have been grateful that half the company, his uncle included, were, for the moment, relatively safe.

But he did not care one whit about himself, or the fact that his uncle and half the company were safe. In fact, he didn't care about the rest of the company at the moment at all-his terrified thoughts were on his brother and the young woman, still trapped on the stone giant's knees as it fought with the others.

In terror he watched as they scrambled for a foothold. His heart had almost leapt out of his throat as he saw Fili slip, before Cirashala and what appeared to be Bofur pulled him up to safety. He could see his brother and the miner holding her to the mountainside, but that did not comfort him.

He was so absorbed in watching those he deeply cared about that he didn't notice when their giant grabbed a large stone off the mountain they were standing on until someone cried, "Look out!" He turned his head around, seeing the giant his brother was on hit another in the face with the giant stone.

XXX

Every single member of the company looked on in horror as the giant behind them hurled a rock at the giant half the company was on, beheading it. The company on stable ground ducked as a fresh onslaught of rocks fell over their heads.

Thorin watched in horror as the giant began to collapse, seeing the company, and more importantly his eldest nephew, stumbling. They had turned, facing outward, all of their arms in front of each other as they held themselves to the rock, with exception to Cirashala, who gripped the rock face between Bofur and Fili with her eyes tightly shut, knuckles white.

He gripped his axe, wishing with all his might that he could somehow fight the giants. It would be far easier than watching helplessly as the fear filled eyes of those in peril crossed near them. It reminded him of how helplessly he could watch as the dragon crushed Erebor's army, shooting flames and swiping them aside as though they were nothing. It was so long ago, but now his heart could see his nephew in peril, and an overwhelming feeling of dread crept into the usually stoic king's heart.

"Come on!" he cried, the rawness of his emotion seeping through his cry. But they could no more come to him than he could get to them, and he could only watch in terror as the giant began to fall backward, the knee his nephew and his closest friend were precariously perched on careening straight toward the side of the cliff he was standing on.

For once, the exiled king under the mountain wanted nothing more than to hold his golden haired nephew, to feel him living and breathing against him, safe and sound, instead of in great peril on a quest for an empty mountain occupied by a dragon-a mountain that he had never seen.

XXX

The cliff face rushed to meet them, and Fili looked over at the frozen young woman next to him. Her eyes were scrunched shut, and she had an iron grip on the stone giant. And, from what he could see, she didn't know that they were all about to die.

He had noticed that his brother was increasingly protective of her, though the blood debt had long since been paid. While Kili had been continually protective of those he called friends, it did not explain the reason why he had gone after her himself when she had wandered off instead of telling the company first, especially after Thorin's lecture about how he had gone up against the trolls himself to protect Bilbo. He had at first attributed Kili's nervousness around her to his general awkwardness around girls, and when Kili had told him about feeling strange he had when Fili had awakened with her, he had attributed that to his brother feeling guilty over what he had done.

But when he saw how patient the normally impulsive Kili had been when he had trained her in archery earlier that evening, and the odd way he had avoided both Fili's and Cirashala's gazes when they had returned from retrieving her arrows, a small thought had begun to work his way into Fili's mind.

He had begun to think back to those strange looks Kili had given her when she wasn't looking and the unusual flushing that resulted from it, and the way Kili had been so gentle with her when she had nearly frozen to death.

He recalled the lent tunic, and how Kili had struck Nori and had to be held back after his loud prank, fire in his eyes. Kili was quite the prankster himself, and had never reacted so seriously to one done by another. He also recalled how possessive Kili had become with her, when Bombur had offered her a hand up after nearly crushing her in their pileup on the icy path and Kili had refused to let the remorseful dwarf anywhere near her, and Fili's eyes widened.

_He was _jealous_ of me….when I woke with her in my arms, _he realized in shock. _By my beard, he…he carries a torch for her._

The stone face was only a handful of yards away. He turned quickly and pressed her up against the stone, his body between Cirashala and the oncoming rock. He didn't know what else to do, but he was determined to keep her safe as best he could.

Even if he were to die in less than two seconds, the least he could do was keep the young woman that his brother cared for from getting killed as well, even if Kili was doomed to care for someone he could never have. And his blood debt would be paid.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX**

**A THOUSAND SORRIES! My fingers got away from me again! Who knew a five minute scene in a movie would turn into 3,000 words! I will start the next chapter ****_immediately_****, and PROMISE I won't go to bed til it's posted for you all, so you get GT! Again, my apologies! (I should probably refrain from telling my readers I am going to get to a particular point, since my treacherous fingers have their own dang ideas! Stupid fingers)**

**A response to guest reviewer Ri-chan-Thank you! I am glad you are enjoying my wandering muses taking over my fingers, since they are awfully stubborn and do not want to share power ;P As to your other question, the problem is probably best answered in Tolkien's own words, "It is because of the fewness of women among them that the kind of the Dwarves increases slowly, and is in peril when they have no secure dwellings. ****_For Dwarves take only _****ONE****_ wife or husband each in their lives, _****and are jealous, as in all matters of their rights." I got this from the LOTR appendices in the section entitled Durin's Folk. The problem with her being a widow is that she ****_has_**** taken one husband, and though he was killed in the accident mentioned in my prologue, it is considered extremely improper amongst dwarves for men to "consort" with women they are unwed with, especially widows, because in their minds, she is already claimed and cannot be claimed by another (as to consorting in ****_that _****way outside of marriage, since Tolkien was avidly against such a thing, even going so far as to explicitly state that elves do not, I would imagine the same rule applied toward dwarves, and I am trying to keep my story in line with Tolkien's "rules" for his world). Of course, being dwarves, they have little understanding of how human relationships/marriage vows, etc work ;) **

**A response to guest reviewer "Guest"- well, I am trying to keep this realistic. It has only been 13 days since she was injured and since they met, so it likely won't happen for a while. She still has to work through her grief, which will likely take all the way to the Battle of 5 Armies, and he isn't fully aware of his side of things yet, though his brother just figured it out, and when he does, he will think things can't happen due to the reasons I mentioned above in my response to Ri-chan (sorry to be vague, but I don't want to spoil all my readers) so it will be very angsty. And yes, Thorin won't be too happy about it, but….well, I don't want to spoil the ending ;) **

**Thanks to all who review, favorite and follow- I love you guys! :D**


	46. Chapter 46

_**I do not own any of the characters or the Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC) those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reull Tolkien, and without his genius,this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.**_

_**Please review! I love getting them-they keep me encouraged J**_

Thorin watched in horror as the giant's knee collided with the rock face, lingering there for a moment before pulling away. The remains of the path that had been adjacent to its knee crumbled as the massive giant tumbled into the valley below, smashing into the mountainside in its descent.

"NO!" he cried, rushing forward, not even caring anymore if he slipped or stumbled on the large rocks blocking his path. His only thought was for Fili, his young nephew and one of the three bright sparks of hope in his life, the other being Kili and their mother, his sister Dis. They were all he had left, and he would be damned by Melkor himself if he let anything happen to them.

_My nephew! Mahal, my Fili! Oh, Mahal and Eru above, please….please let him be alive!_

"NO! Fili, no!" Thorin rushed around the curve in the path, breathing heavily as his eyes rested on the scene in front of him, tears falling unashamedly down his bearded cheeks.

For, instead of the horrific carnage he expected, there his nephew was, along with the rest of their company, panting, bruised and battered, but completely, wonderfully, and blissfully _alive._

XXX

Fili landed in a heap atop Dwalin, the burly warrior jumping in front of him as he flew backwards. The impact of the stone giant's knee on the overhang above had wrenched his grip, along with that of Cirashala, backwards with astonishing force.

Dwalin refused to allow the young dwarf to come to harm, a vow he had sworn 82 years before still in play now, though the lad was technically an adult.

_He had been there the night Fili was born, along with a _very_ agitated Thorin and the lad's father, and, despite not having any children himself, knew exactly what to do. _

_Fourteen ales apiece later, Thorin and the father-to-be were collapsed on the couch, snoring heavily and the worry gone from their faces. Dwalin, having been able to far outdrink anyone else in Thorin's Halls, was still fairly sober. Well, perhaps admittedly a bit tipsy, but definitely not as drunk as the other two were, not by a long shot. _

_He had just settled himself down in the armchair opposite the drooling "couple" snuggled together opposite him (something he never let Thorin live down), and was just about to light his pipe when Oin's assistant midwife came out of the birthing room, carrying an impossibly tiny bundle. She looked at the father of the little one, confusion clouding her face. _

_Dwalin, still in his amused state over his drinking victory, hadn't even noticed the screams had stopped, and stared dumbly as the healer approached him. _

_"Oin needs to finish attending the Lady Dis with the final stage of birth," the healer informed him, and rolled her eyes at the completely blank stare she earned in return. She sighed heavily. _

_"The afterbirth," she said simply. At the increasing bewilderment across the burly dwarf's face, a feature made rather comical by the intimidating tattoos and large mohawk he sported, the healer sighed in frustration. _

_"Suffice to say, the Lady Dis will not be presentable for another half hour at least," she said in annoyance, disliking the obvious ignorance radiating from the still silent dwarf. "And, as I am needed to assist, I was instructed to bring the babe out to meet his father while I return to aid Mister Oin." _

_She glanced with an unamused look at the new father, who had by now slumped over on top of the heavily snoring, open mouthed (and completely undignified) Thorin, who had wrapped an arm around his shoulders, both clearly unconscious. Raising an eyebrow, she turned toward the smirking dwarf, who was quite pleased at seeing his friend in such a position that would give him an excellent opportunity to tease him with later. _

_Dwalin had looked up in utter shock as the nurse shoved the wee babe in his scarred arms. Having a rather good sense of self preservation (meaning that he knew full well that Thorin and the babe's father wouldn't have anything left to kill by the time Dis was done with him. The young princess would KILL him, skin him, and feed him to a balrog, even if it took her an age to find one still living, should anything happen to the little one) he immediately cradled the tiny babe in his arms._

_ The midwife scowled as she manhandled the burly warrior's arms (and at this point, Dwalin was rather grateful that she did, because he had never held a wee one before) until the babe's head was safely tucked in the crook of his arm. The swaddled bundle's feet barely reached the end of the large warrior's hand, and the midwife had brought his right hand up to aid in cradling the impossibly tiny head. _

_"B-but, I don't know ANYTHING about children!" the warrior sputtered, but the midwife would have none of it. _

_"I am needed in there," she said simply, and turned around and left the room. He was about to protest again when he heard the birthing room door close, and knew without a doubt that if he were to intrude on Dis's privacy before she was ready for visitors, it would likely be considered an act of Treason by Thorin for disrespecting the princess. _

_He looked down at the wee bundle, seeing the tiny yet prominent nose which was definitely reminiscent of Thorin's, the thin eyebrows, the tiny fingernails (which were red underneath for reasons he would rather not ponder, and astonishingly sharp), and the small fuzzy tuft of golden hair atop its head just peeking out from the knitted cap it wore, matching the soft peach fuzz of its beard. _

His beard_, the warrior remembered. _She had said she was bringing HIM out to meet HIS father.

_He had stared in awe at the tiny bundle, and though he found the infant's face to be unusually red (but then again, while he didn't have nor desire children of his own, he was at least familiar with the knowledge of how they were made and how they came out, so he supposed that the child's redness was justified, although he couldn't figure out why they didn't bruise when the red faded, because that's what the redness reminded him of) he thought that he had never held anything more precious in his life, not even the gems and gold of Erebor. For all dwarves, whether they have or desire children or not, know that each child is the most precious thing their race could ever own. _

_He made a vow that night, known only to the tiny infant who wouldn't remember it and the burly warrior who swore it, and he never forgot that vow._

The vow he had made on that night so very long ago was at the forefront of his mind as he threw his body between the young heir and the stone face. He could fell Fili's body collide with his, and felt the sharp pain of landing on his back on the rock face radiate through his body. But it didn't matter.

For on that winter's night so long ago, he had sworn that no harm would ever come to the young heir-not if he was still alive and drawing breath.

XXX

Cirashala felt something soft underneath her. No, not soft, but definitely not cold, hard stone either. She could hear the rapid thump-thump of a heartbeat, and feel wet and cold fabric against her cheek. Strong arms enveloped her, and she could hardly breathe with the tight hold. She had some scrapes on her hands from the stone face, but she was breathing. She was alive.

Hearing Thorin's cry, she opened her eyes slowly. Blinking the rain out of her eyes, she went to sit up, but the arms holding her refused to release their hold. She looked up, feeling cool metal against her forehead, and saw Fili's mustache bead dangling next to her eyes.

_Fili, _she thought to herself. _He-he must have gotten between me and…._

Eyes widening as she realized he must have gotten between her and the stone, she darted up.

"Fili!" she yelled, looking down at him. "Are you all right? Please tell me you are alive!" The dwarf winced.

"You don't need to yell," he groaned. "You're screaming right into my ear!" She breathed a shuddery sigh of relief.

_Thank goodness, _she thought to herself. _He wasn't killed on account of me._

She looked up seeing Thorin round the corner. She tallied off the dwarves she saw in her mind.

_Fili, Bombur, Bofur, Ori….wait, where's Dwalin?_

"Laddie, would you mind getting OFF?" a muffled voice growled from underneath the pair. "You're a _lot_ heavier than you were as a wee babe!" Fili blushed to the roots of his hair at Dwalin's comment about him being a wee babe resounded in front of half the company, and scrambled off of the burly dwarf, who was sporting a heavily bleeding nose. The dwarves surrounding them chuckled at the young heir's expense, their relief at being alive obvious in their mirth.

The young heir released Cirashala, eyes roaming over her to make sure she was unhurt, and sighing in relief when she didn't appear to be so. She noticed his look, and raised an eyebrow.

"Paint a picture, it will last longer," she muttered, and he looked at her sheepishly.

"Sorry," he said. "I just wanted to make sure you were all right. You aren't injured, are you?" She shook her head, but couldn't say anything further as she and Bofur simultaneously remembered their hobbit companion.

"Bilbo!" she cried at the same time that Bofur asked where he was.

"Where is our hobbit?!" Cirashala immediately lunged towards the edge of the cliff, shoving Ori into the cliff side at the same time, remembering how the scribe had nearly fallen off the cliff in his attempts to reach the precariously dangling hobbit.

She managed to reach Bilbo just as he slipped, her hand grasping his wrist as he caught the ledge. Dwalin immediately lunged forward, grabbing her legs as she nearly tumbled off the cliff herself.

Bilbo cried out, and as Bofur and Ori called out his name, and Cirashala shouted before Thorin could jump off, realizing that, with Dwalin holding her, there was no one to catch Thorin, and he would fall to his death.

"Bilbo! Grab my wrist and I will pull you up!" she hollered, and the hobbit let go of the ledge, grasping her wrist tightly. "Thorin, _don't move_!"

The dwarf king looked at her in a mix of astonishment and annoyance, noting that she hadn't looked at him as she had spoken, and in his shock, he listened.

_How did she know I was going to get him?_

Dwalin pulled on her legs, and she gripped the hobbit's wrist as tightly as she could. Bilbo winced in pain from it, but gripped back, and between the three of them they managed to get the hobbit to safety. Bilbo sat on the ledge, panting heavily, and Thorin scowled.

"We nearly lost our burglar," Dwalin said, holding his still bleeding nose.

"He's been lost ever since he left home," Thorin said icily, the fear from the last ten minutes giving way to anger and frustration. "He never should have come. He has no place amongst us, and neither does the girl. This journey is too dangerous for those who are so _soft_ and foolish."

XXX

The words cut through Bilbo's heart as he huddled next to Bofur, the miner having been one of those who had helped haul him up.

The hobbit, having felt quite useless enough without the added insult, was now more than resolved to take Lord Elrond up on his offer. Treasure be damned, he just wanted to go home. He was a Baggins, for goodness sake. He shouldn't be adventuring. He should be tending to his garden, preparing and canning the summer crops for winter, and reading by the fireside in his armchair. He wasn't built for this at all. A simple hobbit going up against a dragon? How the wizard had made such a mistake in choosing_ him_ of all people for this adventure was beyond him.

For that is what his inclusion was-a mistake. And Thorin knew it.

XXX

Cirashala heard the words of the dwarf king loud and clear. She didn't need to be told that her running off like she had out of embarrassment had been incredibly foolish.

What she resented in Thorin's statement (other than the part directed at Bilbo, which irritated her to no end) was the implication that she was soft. Hadn't she taken a bloody _warg bite_ to protect _his _nephew? Hadn't she foregone _food _to keep Saruman from stopping them on their quest? Hadn't she fought tooth and nail to keep up every day, even though her body wanted nothing more to give up, both out of physical exhaustion and pain and her grief? Hadn't she slid down in a blizzard to find one of the members of the company that had fallen, _and _come up with a good solution to said blizzard in terms of shelter?

And worst of all, hadn't she shown him the utmost respect, even placing _his _quest above her own overwhelming grief?

Cirashala didn't know what it could possibly take for her to earn acceptance among those who seemed determined to be so stubborn and seemingly possessed hearts of stone. She had a feeling that, as long as she didn't have the dna of a dwarf man, there was no way that this cold hearted king-in-exile would _ever_ be willing to respect her in return.

_But I have to do what's right_, she thought to herself. _Even if those whom I am helping are completely ungrateful bastards. I cannot honestly say that everyone should be helped, regardless of who they are, if I do not keep my own word and advice. If Thorin chooses to be a cold hearted bastard, then he will be one. But I swore an oath, and I am no oathbreaker. Even if my king happens to be an idiot. _

She stood up with her head held tall as Thorin called Dwalin in to investigate the cave they had found, not showing that his words had affected her. She entered the cave entrance and walked by the dwarf king, fixing him with a cold stare, her jaw fixed in determination as she passed.

If Thorin had even an _inkling_ that she was stubborn before, he hadn't seen anything yet.

XXX

Bofur had heard the cruel barbs of his king against his friends, and wasn't too happy about it. All in all, he thought that the two of them had handled it quite well, especially Cirashala.

She didn't seem fazed at first, but as he caught a very brief glimpse of the cold stare she had directed at Thorin, his eyes widened. She had most definitely been affected, and the impression he got was a volcano dangerously close to exploding.

And somehow, he wasn't sure he wanted to be around when it finally did.

XXX

Kili had all but tackled Fili the second the rest of the company had gotten out of the way. He checked him over, eyes roaming up and down, until Fili had assured him he was just fine. A little sore maybe, but alive and well.

Fili saw his brother's eyes follow Cirashala as he asked him if he was all right for the umpteenth time, concern in his gaze. Fili glanced at his uncle, the entire company hearing what was said, and back at his brother, almost visibly seeing the daggers shooting out of the young dwarf's eyes at his uncle. He placed a hand on Kili's shoulder to keep him from doing something equally foolish.

"Not now, Kee," he whispered in his brother's ear so the others wouldn't hear. His younger brother turned toward him, confusion in his gaze, and Fili's eyes grew slightly.

_He isn't aware that he has feelings for her, _the young heir realized. _He just knows that he is angry that Thorin spoke to her that way. _

Fili decided that now might not be the best time to mention this particular, erm, _problem. _Especially with the rest of the company, and their uncle, so near. 

XXX

Cirashala wasn't stupid. She knew full well that their "surprisingly lucky find" in the cave wasn't lucky at all. She also was smart enough to know that she must get at least a wink of sleep, but then decided against it, knowing full well that it would be better to be alert than groggy when they tumbled into the goblin caverns.

Kili looked at her, his expression filled with concern as his eyes roamed over her shivering form, before glancing fearfully at his uncle. He had heard what was said, and completely disagreed, having seen the signs of her strength in the small things she did and said. However, he didn't wish to incur his uncle's wrath upon himself and get scolded like a child in front of the entire company. He was torn, and not sure what to do.

Glancing down at his pack, he realized he had given all his spare blankets to his brother, whom he had seen rubbing his neck. Fili had confessed that he had hit Dwalin's face rather hard, and his neck and head were a bit sore. The young dwarf looked back up at the girl, not sure what he could offer her to get warmer, Thorin having prohibited Gloin from building a fire, when the thought struck him.

_We had slept next to each other to keep warm in the snow, _he thought to himself. _Of course, if she could just put her spare clothing on, she would be considerably warmer. _

He swallowed nervously, before approaching her.

XXX

"Cirashala?"

The young woman looked up from where she was rolling out her still soaked bedroll, having been lost in thoughts of whether or not it would do any good and not hearing the young heir approach. He glanced furtively at his uncle, who was occupied in conversation with Balin, but still keeping an eye on his youngest nephew. His uncle's gaze narrowed, and Kili gulped, making sure to leave respectful distance between him and the young woman, fingering his tunic nervously.

"Don't…I mean, wouldn't you be warmer if you changed?" he asked hesitantly. "I would offer you an extra blanket, but Fili—" She held up her hand, and Kili shut his mouth.

"Your brother cushioned my fall," she said quietly. "He needs the blankets more than I do." Kili gave her an appreciative look, his head nodding slightly.

"Yes, he does," he replied, "But you are shivering—" She sighed, looking down.

"It is what it is," she said, looking at her pack. "But I will dry." He gestured toward her pack.

"What about your spare clothing?" he asked, crouching down to look at her eye to eye, though he still maintained his distance. "Surely that would be warmer?" She sighed heavily, not meeting his eyes.

"I dropped them by the stream, after…." She trailed off, flushing slightly in embarrassment. Kili felt his cheeks warm too, and was grateful for the dim light in the cave. Thorin cleared his throat loudly, and Kili looked over his shoulder.

"Kili, get some sleep," Thorin ordered, giving the young woman a pointed glare as he spoke. Kili sighed slightly, before rising to his feet and trudging back to his bedroll. Thorin watched him like a hawk, and didn't take his gaze off of the young dwarf until Kili had lain down.

He glanced once more at the young woman, concern in his gaze, before the exhaustion and emotional turmoil of the evening caught up with him, and he drifted off into a deep and dreamless sleep.

XXX

She lay there for a while, glancing in the two heir's direction as they snored lightly. Kili had offered all his blankets to his brother, whose neck and the back of his head was slightly sore after meeting Dwalin's thick skull. Cirashala thought it was rather fortunate for the young dwarf that the _only _thing that had broken in their smash into the cliff had been Dwalin's nose, being aware of how thick skulled he seemed to be.

She was incredibly grateful to Fili for what he had done, though she didn't know what to make of it. And she didn't regret that she had snapped at Thorin to stay put on the cliff-goodness knows if Dwalin would have caught him in time, given how her presence seemed to change some things.

She racked her brain, but still couldn't figure out how the stone giants' fight could have happened when they were five days behind schedule. She didn't think that they could have possibly regained that. But, what happened was what happened, and she was grateful that Bilbo will hopefully reach Goblintown in time to find the One.

She just dearly hoped that the hobbit would fall like he was supposed to.

XXX

Cirashala could hear Bilbo and Bofur talking, and reached over to grab her sword quietly, fastening it around her waist. She quietly donned her quiver, making sure the bow was fastened tightly, though she wasn't certain what to do with the arrows. She also grabbed her pain tea herb pouch and tied it to her belt, knowing she didn't have a lot of time and determined to grab the most important items first.

She, unlike Bilbo, was determined not to leave. She didn't know if Gandalf would reach them in time or not, but she knew she _must _find a way to hold off the goblins until he arrives.

It didn't take more than a few minutes before she heard the long dreaded creak in the floor, and as Thorin shouted at everyone to wake up, she brought her arms over the back of her head around her arrows and curled up into a ball, shutting her eyes tight with a cry as they tumbled into the chasm below.

XXX

The company bumped and jostled against the rough rock wall and each other, their things flying amidst them as they fell down into the deeps. Cirashala felt herself get slammed into the turns in the wall, failing to bite back cries as her knuckles, elbows, and forehead scraped against the rock.

They fell in an unceremonious heap at the bottom, Cirashala landing near the young heirs, before getting the air knocked out of her by a heavy Thorin landing on top of her. Her nose added to her injuries, throbbing but thankfully not bleeding. Bombur was surprisingly one of the last to fall on the pile, causing many dwarves to groan in pain.

The howl of the goblins preceded them, and Dori was the first to get a good look at the incoming onslaught. Then it was utter chaos.

"Look out! Look out!" he shouted. Fili, who had managed to sit up, turned and yanked Kili up to a sitting position, before turning towards the threat. Within half a second the goblins were all over them. The dwarves yelled, fighting them off as best they could as their weapons were ripped from their hands.

Fili and Kili reached out and pulled on Thorin's forearms, trying to help him up, when a goblin jumped on top of him. The various members of the company were one by one hauled to their feet and forced along the bridge, whips, curses, and jeers following them.

Thorin, Fili and Kili had managed to get to their feet, being in the back of the claw they fell in, Cirashala had stumbled to her feet, and Kili and Fili both reached out for her, their fingers grasping air as she was yanked away. Kili then reached for Bilbo, but, like Cirashala, he was yanked away as well.

Fili and Thorin backed up, both in front of Kili. They protected him as best they could, but by then their weapons had already been snatched and taken away. They were grabbed, along with the rest, and forced across the rickety bridge.

Fili kept turning right and left, both in trying to get the goblin's grimy clawed hands to let go, and to see if his brother behind him was all right. Kili was doing the same, looking back and forth between his brother in front of him, and his uncle and Cirashala behind him.

Dwalin saw the goblins yanking his elder brother through the crowds, and shouted as he brought his fist in the goblin's face.

"Get off of him!" he cried, but the goblins paid him no heed, just driving him on with sharp claws and whips, and by sheer brute force due to their overwhelming numbers. Fili also managed to get a solid hit in, as did several of the dwarves.

Cirashala was very careful to be discreet as she glanced backward, noting with relief that Bilbo slipped away as he had done so in the movie. She turned her face forward, fighting with the goblins who grasped her, noting to herself that her gender had not been mistaken as a hand came down where it decidedly did _not _belong. She swung out her fist, catching the offending goblin in the face, but it served to only make it mad, and the next thing she knew she was sporting three new scratches from its claws on her cheek.

She cried out, but her cries went unheeded as the jeering of goblins became almost deafening. They entered the Great Goblin's throne room, and as Cirashala looked around at the quite literally thousands of ecstatic goblins everywhere, her heart sank.

_Gandalf, I dearly hope you will arrive soon. Because I do not know how long I can stall them. _

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXX**

**So, here we are-Goblintown as I promised. **

**I am tired, and I hurt….going to bed now. **

**May my readers forgive me for not having Goblintown last chapter :D**


	47. Chapter 47

_**I do not own any of the characters or the Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC) those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reull Tolkien, and without his genius,this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.**_

_**Please review! I love getting them-they keep me encouraged J**_

_**I feel that I must include a warning here-there will be HEAVY language in this chapter. I normally do not swear, and neither does my OC, but the swearing in this chapter is **__**crucial**__** to the plot, so if you are easily offended, please understand why it was done. I hope you enjoy this chapter nonetheless, and please review!**_

The goblins hustled them across the pathways, causing many of the dwarves and the young woman to stumble on loose planks in the process. Cirashala noticed that the sides of the walkway weren't very well shored up, and, despite wishing that she _wasn't_ completely surrounded by goblins, she was grateful for the slight buffer between her and the edge.

The goblins who were carrying their weapons threw them down in a heap in front of the Great Goblin. Cirashala felt jostled on all sides as clawed hands gripped her arms and ripped through her sleeves, leaving minor scratches on her arms. She suddenly felt the clawed hands retract, and glanced behind her as Fili, Balin and Gloin shoved her to the center of the group, preventing the goblins behind them from being able to reach her.

"Keep your head down and your hood up," Balin whispered in her ear, and Gloin nodded.

"Do not let them know your gender," the red haired dwarf hissed, causing Cirashala to look at the fiery tempered dwarf in astonishment, her mouth gaping slightly.

_I-is he…._protecting _me? _

Her astonishment was short lived, however, as she felt a tug on her neck. Before she could turn to see what it was, her hood was pulled up over her head and fell over her eyes, allowing her to see nothing except her boots and Kili's in front of her.

"Keep your hood on!" the voice she recognized as Fili's hissed over her shoulder. "Do not look up!"

There was more jostling as the goblins rounded them up, and she felt someone bump into the back of her, causing her to bump into Kili in turn with a slight grunt.

XXX

The young dwarf didn't need to look back to know that Cirashala was behind him. He had heard the soft grunt, and kept his eyes fixed forward at the enormous goblin in front of them in order to avoid drawing attention to her. However, he did plant his feet and reach his hand back slightly, grasping her arm gently and steadying her until she regained her balance. Once he felt her stop wobbling against his back, he let go and brought his hand back to rest against his side.

The jostling ceased, and the great goblin stepped down from his enormous throne, using a pile of pitifully squealing goblins as a footstool. He stepped down onto the platform with a loud thud, before sneering at the group of dwarves, who were regarding him with glares and looks of disgust.

"Who would be so bold as to come armed into my kingdom?" he asked, his enormous chin wobbling back and forth, before standing up straight. He had a large scepter in his left hand, a skull of a tusked and horned creature adoring the top of it, and it hit the platform with a slight thud as he glared at the "invaders".

"Spies? Thieves? Assassins?" he spat, earning even deeper glares from the angry dwarves at the insulting titles he heaped upon them, but not one of them said a word.

Kili's breathing quickened, and his fingers twitched, wanting nothing more than to silence the disgusting creature he laid eyes on. At the same time, he was very worried about what would happen should the goblins discover the gender of the young woman behind him. He may not know much about women and how certain_ activities_ were performed, but he wasn't completely naïve. He knew that it would not bode well for her at all should the goblins realize they had a woman amongst them, and for the first time, he wished she hadn't accompanied them into this danger.

The goblin in front of the young dwarf spoke up, answering his master.

"Dwarves, your malevolence," he replied, and the great goblin sneered.

"Dwarves?" he spat, looking at the group with indignation and hate. The goblin that had answered nodded.

"Found 'em on the front porch," he said, moving forward and pointing at the group behind him.

"Well, don't just stand there!" the goblin cried, pointing his finger over the group. "Search them! Every crack, every crevasse!"

The goblins immediately jumped to it even as the great goblin spoke, and Cirashala could feel the dwarves press into her on all sides. Her breathing quickened and the blood drained from her face as the great goblin's words rang through her mind.

_Every crack, every crevasse. _

XXX

Kili heard a slight gasp of horror behind him, and moved back into her as the goblins pressed forward. They rifled through his clothing with absolutely no regard for dignity, shoving their grimy, clawed hands into his coat, and between his jerkin and tunic. His face showed little emotion, but disgust shone from his eyes. The others fared no better, one goblin stamping on Oin's hearing trumpet after wrenching it out of his hand, but as one goblin moved to pass the young prince, the impassive mien melted away, and he shoved his fist into the goblin's face.

"Get away!" he cried, blocking the angry goblin's arm as it swung back at him in retaliation. He felt a whip lash across his face, jerking his head to the side as the angry leather ripped his cheek open. He paid it no mind, swinging out again. Several of the dwarves had also begun pushing against the goblins as they attempted to get past to search the young woman in the middle of the group.

Suddenly, four goblins at once were on Kili, grasping his arms and neck and dragging him forward and off to the left. He growled, fighting against them, but it was no use. He watched in horror as several more goblins overwhelmed Ori and Bifur, pushing them aside as well, until they reached the young woman.

"No!" he cried, surging forward. But two more goblins joined the four holding him back, and he watched with wide eyes as Cirashala swung out, backhanding a goblin in the face with her right fist and immediately turning to land her fist in the stomach of another. But she was overwhelmed in half a second, and the goblins began searching her as well. She kicked out, hitting another goblin in the face, but as she did, her hood fell off. The goblins paid her no mind, finishing their quick search and standing back, but Kili's eyes widened slightly in surprise, as did several of the dwarves.

For she had taken the hair from the front half of each face, and brought it forward and under her chin, braiding it tightly against her jaw in a single braid that trailed down in front, as well as leaving several tendrils of her long bangs hanging over her eyes slightly. The effect between the two served to hide most of her face, and give her the illusion of a handsomely long beard. To a dwarf's eye, it was incredibly obvious that it was no beard.

But, to the goblin's untrained eyes, she was nothing more than another dwarf man.

XXX

Thorin looked at her in barely disguised surprise as well, but hid it as soon as it showed.

_That is the worst looking "beard" I have ever seen, _he thought to himself. _But it seems to have worked. But how did she do that in such a short time? _

He had no time to ponder his question, however, because as soon as the goblins backed away after their search, the dwarves huddled again, discreetly moving around her back. The goblins holding Kili shoved him back toward the group, where he took up his place in front of her again, glaring at the goblins.

"What are you doing in these parts?" the great goblin asked. Bofur and the others glanced between each other, discreetly running their eyes over Cirashala as they did so to make sure she was relatively unharmed, before glaring back up at the great goblin.

When the giant did not receive an answer, he grew very angry. "Speak!"

Still not receiving a response, he stood up straight, pointing his finger at them.

"Very well, if they will not talk, we'll make them squawk!" He looked around at the cheering goblins like a child who has just been given permission to play. "Bring up the mangler! Bring up the bone breaker!"

He waved his scepter around as cheers resounded through the cavern, the goblins becoming more and more excited at the promised _entertainment._ The great goblin turned, pointing toward the group at what appeared to be Ori.

"Start with the youngest!" he cried, but before he even finished the last word, a decidedly female voice rang out, shouting above the din.

"I am the youngest!"

XXX

Thorin had opened his mouth to speak up, but turned in shock at the young woman, who had quickly undone her "beard" and thrown her hood back, staring defiantly up at the equally surprised great goblin as her auburn curls fell in a wildly tangled mess down her back and framing her face. Kili whipped his head around with a gasp, eyes as wide as tea saucers with a panicked look on his face, even as the great goblin began to chuckle.

"Well, well, well!" the great goblin cackled. "Looks like we have a _female_ dwarf amongst us! What a _wonderful _surprise!"

The dwarves looked at her in shock, before huddling around her so closely that she almost couldn't breathe. She pushed against them to step forward, but as she went to pass in front of Kili, the young dwarf grabbed her arm so hard his knuckles turned white, shoving her behind him with a glare even as Thorin spoke up.

"Wait!" Thorin shouted, attempting to move forward. The dwarves parted for him, several hands now gripping her arms tightly, though she struggled against them. The great goblin's eyes widened, and a wicked smirk crossed over his face.

"Why, look who it is! Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror, King under the Mountain!" he bowed low, his great chin sweeping the platform as the goblins cackled. The whole company recognized the mocking gesture for what it was, and glared daggers at the goblin who dared to disrespect their king.

"Oh, but I'm forgetting, you don't have a mountain!" The goblin continued, "And you're not a king, which makes you….nobody really." Thorin glared at him, and just as the great goblin opened his mouth to speak, an angry voice shouted, causing hundreds of pairs of eyes to turn toward the speaker.

"GET AWAY FROM MY KING, YOU MOTHERFUCKING SON OF AN ELVISH BITCH!"

XXX

Thirteen pairs of completely astonished and dumbfounded eyes turned toward the young woman, whose sky blue eyes had been replaced with a steely grey, unbridled fury emanating from her entire body.

Those who had been holding her back loosened their hold in shock, every dwarf gaping at the furious young woman, whose glare directed at the great goblin could not match even Thorin's. She violently wrenched free from their grasp, stepping forward and looking the great goblin straight in the eye.

"If you even _think _about harming _any _of these dwarves, I will skin you alive, cut off your balls and shove them down your throat, cut off every single appendage you have slowly and painfully, and put your disgusting, filthy head on a spike!" she screamed, all fear gone as she stared down the massive goblin, who was easily three times her height and about a ton heavier than her. Her fists clenched at her sides, and the fury in her gaze was enough to make some of the smaller goblins back up in fear. Blood dripped down from the scratches on her face, but she paid it no heed.

"You are disgusting, you damned thrice to hell motherfucking bastard! You evil spawn of _elves_, you will rue the day you ever insulted a dwarf!" Her voice had dropped low and dangerous, every word cut with steel. "And not even Melkor himself will save your _pathetic_ hide."

XXX

The room was eerily quiet as the goblin king stared at her. The stunned dwarves looked wide eyed at the fuming young woman, her eyes neither blinking nor leaving the great goblin.

_Where's the cowering, injured young woman the lads rescued in the troll cave?_ Dwalin thought, his stunned gaze turning slowly into respect as he nodded to her. _It appears the lass has a backbone after all. _

The great goblin looked her over, before a smirk slowly crossed his face. He began to chuckle, the sound starting low and building, until his laughter rang throughout the cavern. Breaking the dwarves out of their astonishment, they turned and began glaring at the goblin king once more, clustering behind her in support.

"Bring her forward," the great goblin said, once his chuckles had dissipated. "This one will be fun to break."

Kili's eyes widened, and he tried to reach out and pull her back to safety, but the goblins saw him move and in the blink of an eye stood between her and the dwarves. They jumped on her, dragging her forward, her glare never leaving the goblin king. He tried to push his way through, but Dwalin and Thorin pulled him back.

"No!" he cried, before a gloved hand clamped over his mouth.

"Kili, no!" Thorin hissed in his ear. "He wants to get a rise out of you! You _must_ not let him!"

"Aye, lad," Dwalin whispered. "Wait!" Kili stopped struggling against them, looking at Dwalin with wide eyes, fear barely concealed in the brown depths.

Thorin removed his hand and let him go, and the young dwarf looked at him in disbelief, before his worried gaze shot to Cirashala. He swallowed heavily, but did not move forward, having been trained since he could hold a wooden sword to listen to those in command in battle no matter what, even though every fiber of his being yearned to disregard his uncle's orders as he saw the young woman shoved to her knees.

For the first time in his life, he wondered if his uncle had truly lost his senses.

XXX

Cirashala grunted as her knees slammed into the platform. She looked up at the great goblin, disgust and anger seething from her gaze.

_How dare they threaten Ori? How dare they harm ANY of the dwarves? _She thought to herself. _I will NOT allow anyone to be harmed, as long as I draw breath. I swore an oath, and I will keep that—_

She heard the distinct crack of a whip behind her, and her eyes widened just slightly. Unfortunately, the goblin king noticed, and laughed.

"Ah, yes. I almost forgot after your little _interruption_," he leaned his head down to her, sneering, and her nose wrinkled at the disgusting smell coming from his mouth. "Your king has someone who would pay a pretty price for his head, and I would imagine that same someone might be _interested _in such a…_spirited _plaything." He rubbed his hand over her head and the side of her face, and she jerked it away, glaring at him, clenching her jaw so as to not show her fear.

_Gandalf, please hurry, _she silently pleaded.

XXX

The goblin king stood up, and was about to inform Thorin in greater detail about just _who _it was that put the price on his head, when he noticed the young looking dwarf in the front. While the other dwarves glared at him as well, this young one looked at him as though he would like nothing more than to murder him. The great goblin smirked.

_This should be fun,_ he thought to himself.

"Of course, the pale orc didn't say anything about _you_," he sneered at the young woman, "Just that he wants the head of your king. As for the _rest_ of you, I was told I could do as I wished. Grinnah!" The goblin who had addressed him when the dwarves were first brought forth stepped forward.

"Yes, your malevolence?" The great goblin smirked as he looked at the cluster of dwarves.

"Beat her."

XXX

As soon as the order was issued, the dwarves surged forward, goblins rushing in to push them back.

"Tie them up!" the great goblin cried, and green ropes were brought forth. The goblins surged in, every hit the company landed seemingly ineffective as another goblin took the place of those who fell. The goblin king turned toward his scribe.

"Send word to the pale orc. Tell him we have found his prize," the great goblin instructed, and the scribe cackled evilly as the line was released, sending him away from the scene.

XXX

Kili shoved against the goblins as best he could, as did Bofur who stood next to him, but to no avail. The mangled creatures surged in without mercy, pushing them back. Kili looked above their heads in horror as goblins held Cirashala down and tore her tunic in half, exposing the leather corset underneath.

Grinnah reached down, sifting through the company's weapons until he spotted Kili's knife. He eyed the serrated edge, before moving toward her. He used the knife to saw the leather of the corset in half, and pulled it apart, exposing the bare flesh of her back. He glanced at the knife, before grinning and flashing his hand, slicing a shallow ripped cut across her back, causing the young woman to flinch away from it with a strangled scream.

As the red rivulets of blood began to drip down her previously unmarred back, blood drawn by Kili's own knife, the young dwarf surged forward with a growl, heedless of the goblins who tried to hold him back.

XXX

Grinnah struck twice more with the knife, leaving two more shallow yet painful gashes across her back, before picking up his barbed whip.

He repeatedly struck her in rapid succession, glee shining in the goblin's features as the barbs tugged on the ragged edges of the knife wounds. The goblin king grew increasingly annoyed as she refused to cry out, biting her lip so hard it dripped blood. Her strangled growls and screams were muffled through her tight lips, eyes shut against the pain as tears streamed down her cheeks. The great goblin held up his hand, and Grinnah's arm stilled.

The great goblin reached down, sliding his grimy hand under her chin and forcing her face upward. She slowly opened her tear filled eyes, pain and anger in the steel eyes.

"What are you doing in these parts?" he asked. She looked up at him defiantly, blood dripping from her swollen lip.

"_Ishkhaqwi ai durugnul_," she spat through gritted teeth, her jaw clenched against the pain and also to keep the nausea from revealing itself. She could vaguely hear the struggling pause behind her, before the dwarves began shouting additional insults at the great goblin.

She remembered Gimli delivering that particular insult to the elves in Lothlorien, and decided that would work, even if she honestly had no idea what it meant. She almost gagged as the vomit came up, spurting out her clenched mouth to land straight on the great goblin's enormous feet.

Through the rushing in her ears, she could faintly hear the dwarves fighting to reach her, but as black spots danced over her vision and her body trembled violently, she could not turn her head to look in their direction.

The goblin king roared in anger, and grabbed her by the hair on the back of her head, forcefully turning her around. Her eyes fell on Kili as her hands went up to hold the front of her tunic in place, who met her gaze. The young dwarf's expression was one of abject shock, anger and horror, and he surged forward, ducking under the rope being used to bind them and snapping the neck of the first goblin he reached. He lurched down towards the swords, but the goblin king had no intention of him succeeding in his attempt.

"Grab him!" the goblin king shouted, pointing to the dark haired dwarf, and several goblins jumped on Kili just before he reached them. He landed on his stomach, seeing the gleaming blades within a few inches of his hands, before they were yanked back. The goblins grabbed his hair, yanking him to his feet and began dragging him forward as he struggled against them. They threw him to his knees in front of Cirashala, who looked up at him.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, "I tried." But before Kili could respond, there was a shout.

"NO!" Thorin's voice sounded above the others. The goblin king sneered at the dwarf king.

"Bring the king forward too! We need his head!" The great goblin cried, and several goblins moved to grab Thorin and drag him forward. Grinnah moved toward the pile of weapons, knowing exactly which sword he wished to use. He picked up the dragon hilted sword and looked at it with interest. Deciding the _king _deserved to have his head cut off with such a _fine _weapon, he began to unsheathe it.

But the second the runes etched onto the blade became visible, he cried out in horror, throwing the sword down on the platform with a loud clatter. The goblins who could see the sword shrieked, and the great goblin stepped back toward his throne in fear, pointing at the sword.

"I know that sword! It is the goblin cleaver!" he cried, his fear giving way to anger. "The Biter! The blade that slashed a thousand necks!" The goblins cried out in unbridled fury, piling on the dwarves like ants on dropped foot, quickly overwhelming the warriors in their raw hate. The whips began singing, the claws began grabbing, and the fists began flying.

Kili got yanked away from Cirashala as the great goblin grabbed her by the back of the neck, powerless to stop the assault.

"No!" he cried, the injured young woman disappearing from his sight as goblins swarmed over him.

"Slash them! Beat them! Kill them! Kill them all!" The great goblin cried. He pointed to Thorin, who by now had become pinned under the weight of six goblins. "Cut off his head!"

Thorin watched with wide eyes as the knife loomed over him, the blade glinting in the flickering light, before it flew down towards his exposed neck.


	48. Chapter 48

_**I do not own any of the characters or the Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC) those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reull Tolkien, and without his genius,this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.**_

_**Please review! I love getting them-they keep me encouraged J**_

A great blast of pale blue light suddenly appeared, exploding through the giant cavern with a loud whoosh. All whom stood in its path were immediately paralyzed, falling over where they stood.

The goblins shrieked as the light burned their skin, their pale, grotesque flesh being unable to withstand bright light of any source. But their loud, pain filled shrieks were drowned out by the blast, as were the sounds of torture machines creaking as they flew through the air.

Within mere seconds, all was eerily quiet. The oil fed fires in their cisterns and torches slowly began to light again, illuminating the stricken goblins and bringing light to the massive destruction wrought by the wizard.

For Gandalf the grey, humble counselor though he was, was one of the Istari, emissaries sent by the Valar themselves to battle the growing evil in Middle-earth. And, though his own humility and compassion would not commonly allow his power to be displayed, the wizard was not just a cheap conjurer of tricks meant for the amusement of children, but rather one of the greatest and most powerful beings in all of Middle-earth during the third age of this world.

And he was furious.

XXX

As Cirashala was blinded by the light, she breathed a sigh of relief, even as that very breath was yanked from her lungs in the same moment.

_Thank Eru, _she thought to herself. _He made it. _

Her back hurt very badly, the throbbing pain dulled only slightly by the elvish pain tea she had drunk as they had climbed up the path outside. She was incredibly grateful she had done so, because she was quite certain the pain of a dozen lashes plus three serrated knife wounds would have caused her to fall into unconsciousness long before now, had she not had the pain tea beforehand.

She could feel the lightheadedness begin, her body reacting to the trauma even if her pain was slightly dulled. As the cavern began to light again, she rolled away from the great goblin, his grip on her neck having loosened in the wake of Gandalf's explosion. Pain laced up her shoulders as she stopped on her stomach, and her right hand met air.

The young woman froze, realizing that she was right next to the edge of the platform. As the torchlight returned, groans could be heard from dwarves and goblins alike, Gandalf's deep voice sounding above them.

"Take up arms," he said, looking over the group. "You must fight!" The disheveled dwarves began to stand on wobbly legs, recovering faster than the light sensitive goblins. Gandalf's eyes widened as clarity returned to the ugly, wrathful eyes of the evil creatures.

"FIGHT!"

XXX

Thorin threw the stunned goblins off himself as Nori growled, attempting to do the same. Several goblins rushed Gandalf as he hurried up the pathway to the great goblin's platform, his sword gleaming brightly in the dim cavern.

He hit an oncoming goblin with Glamdring in his right, using the tall staff in his left hand to knock another goblin over. He immediately swung back, stabbing another goblin deeply in his abdomen, the runes blazing brightly against the cool metal.

"He wields the foe-hammer!" the great goblin cried, cowering on the platform. "The Beater! Bright as daylight!" As he spoke, Bofur managed to reach the weapons pile. He began throwing swords, knives, warhammers, and a giant ladle behind him, trusting his companions to catch them.

Kili stood up, throwing a goblin off himself, before looking around frantically. He spotted his uncle fighting off two more goblins, seemingly unhurt, out of the corner of his eye. But he did not worry about Thorin- as long as his uncle was standing, and weapons were within reach, he could fight off his foes. Same with Fili- if his brother was on his feet, he could defend himself.

His eyes scanned the front of the goblin's platform frantically, trying in vain to spot the young woman. He heard his name shouted, and turned in time to catch the hilt of his sword mid-air just as Bombur used his massive belly to push several goblins off the platform into the abyss below. He pulled it forward, before spotting Grinnah.

Snarling as he remembered the sneering, gleeful expression on the goblin's face as he beat Cirashala, and then after as the same goblin began to whip his uncle fiercely after the revelation of Orcrist's presence, he charged the equally snarling creature.

Grinnah saw him and charged as well, but the goblin's strength was no match for the livid young dwarf, who immediately cut off his sword arm with a roar, followed by a shallow slash across his chest.

_Feel that pain? _The young dwarf snarled quietly as he drove his sword through Grinnah's torso, the goblin's mouth dropping open as his blood pooled on the wooden platform. _That is the pain you inflicted on my friend. Remember it and die._

He withdrew his sword, watching with satisfaction as the impaled goblin fell to the ground, dead. He heard Nori shout Thorin's name, and saw the goblin king stand up, brandishing his club. He swung it at Thorin, who drew Orcrist from the sheath Nori was holding and swung against the massive club. The goblin king stumbled backward, and Kili's eyes fell on the platform near him, eyes growing in panic.

"Cirashala!" he cried, seeing the goblin's giant foot stumble dangerously close to her prone form. Thorin heard his cry, and looked over, before diving down towards the young woman. He clasped Cirashala's left wrist just as the great goblin stumbled into the abyss, the goblin's massive foot missing her by a hair's breadth.

Cirashala stumbled as Thorin hauled her to her feet, before a sword was thrust into her hand. She looked down, seeing the familiar metal gleaming blue in the darkness in her right hand as she tried to hold her tunic to her front with her left, her body quivering slightly from the trauma. Thorin looked at her pale face for a moment, his blue eyes unreadable, before grabbing her and turning her around. She felt him grab the top corners of the back of her tunic where the goblins had slashed it in half, tying it in place to keep her tunic on and tying the bottom corners as well, before pushing her gently but firmly towards the open pathway ahead.

The dwarves and wizard finished slicing through the cluster of goblins on the platform, and Gandalf turned toward them.

"Follow me!" he cried. "Quick!"

XXX

The group began running down the platform leading away from the goblin king's throne, opposite the way they had entered the large chamber.

Thorin was in the front, running as fast as he could, followed by the rest of the company. Kili and Fili were in the back at first, but quickly made their way up toward Cirashala, who was stumbling along toward the front of the group, Bofur supporting her.

As the miner saw Kili's expression of fear and worry, he nodded to the young prince, but refused to release his grip on the young woman as they ran.

"You are a better warrior than I!" Bofur cried as they ran. "We need your sword! I've got her!" Kili looked at him, eyes narrowing, but Fili grabbed his shoulder.

"He's right!" Fili cried, swinging his sword at a goblin with his left. "You are the better fighter! He won't let her get hurt anymore!" Kili looked at his brother, then back at Cirashala, before focusing on the goblins.

"If anymore harm comes to her, it is on your head," he whispered to the miner as he passed, before swinging his sword at a goblin to the right. Bofur looked at him strangely, but nodded, pulling her down with him as he ducked a goblin swinging on a rope over them.

_Why would the lad think I would even _consider _letting her get harmed more?_ The miner thought in confusion. _He's known me since he was a babe. He should know me better than that. Unless…._

The thought that entered the miner's head at that point was immediately dismissed.

_No, that can't be it, _the miner thought as he swung the axe he held at another goblin, this time from the left.

But that did not stop the lingering doubts in the miner's head.

XXX

"This way!" Gandalf cried to the company of dwarves as they fled along platforms as fast as they could.

The goblins on the surrounding pathways jumped on the one the company was on with angry shrieks and cries, the ones landing immediately near the company getting killed or pushed off. But the group of goblins that followed them grew in number by the second, hordes of evil creatures out for the blood of those who would dare to escape their realm.

Dwalin came upon a group of dwarves blocking his way, and swung his twin axes, Grasper and Keeper, slitting their throats in one stroke. He looked up, spotting several more running towards him, their bent legs and long arms making them look even more grotesque than they already did. He looked over his shoulder, huffing.

"Post!" he cried, swinging his right axe down, delivering a mighty blow to the side rail. Effectively creating a makeshift battering ram, he, along with Nori, Fili, Gloin and Bifur picked it up.

"Charge!" Dwalin cried, leading the assault. They swung the great pole from left to right, knocking about eight goblins off with each stroke until their path was relatively clear. They continued to run, Bofur in the back with Cirashala as the former swung his axe at a lingering goblin.

Cirashala stumbled on the loose planks, and Bofur grabbed his arm to steady her. He looked at her seriously.

"Lass, I need you to fight as best as ye are able," he cried as they ran. "There are too many of them ahead." Cirashala nodded.

_I hope that my skills at being able to be unanticipated are enough and that goblins are as lousy fighters as they seem to be, _she thought to herself as she lifted her sword, swinging it at a goblin on the right, knocking it off the platform. _Otherwise I may not survive this._

XXX

The company briefly got separated, one half of them running above as the other half ran below. Within moments of the separation, the pathways came together again, and the company was united once more.

Gandalf led the charge this time, swinging his staff in his left as he wielded Glamdring with deadly accuracy. Goblins fell before the wizard, each being foolhardy to take on the powerful being in their raw hate. But Gandalf, while angry indeed, remained focused, and his strokes remained controlled.

_How could the dwarves allow the girl to be tortured instead of them? _The Istari thought as he cut down the goblins. _They should have ensured she remained hidden from the goblin's sight!_

The wizard glanced to where young Kili was, seeing the dwarf swing his sword at the goblins with fire in his dark eyes.

_I would have thought that young Kili at least would have stopped them, _the wizard thought to himself. _He seemed to be quite curious about her in Rivendell, but perhaps his uncle's prejudices within him ran deeper than I thought. _

Not for the first time did he curse the foolishness and stubbornness of dwarves.

XXX

Thorin swung his great sword around, slicing goblins left and right as Balin did the same, their experience as warriors showing in the complicated maneuvers and intricate steps each took.

Thorin spotted an archer, and, knowing that archers could be some of the deadliest foes in battle, striking unexpectedly and killing silently, swung Orcrist at its arrow before it had a chance to fire. He roared as he continued on, leading his half of the company, for they had gotten separated again in the tangled pathways of the goblin city.

Bofur moved so that the young woman was between him and the wall, slicing through the goblins to the side as Cirashala swung at an oncoming goblin. He could tell she was tiring, but she kept going, sheer determination in her eyes even as her face paled even further.

The lower group broke through the tunneled part, Ori swinging Dwalin's large warhammer and sinking in the skull of a goblin. He was very thankful that Fili had trained him with the warhammer in Rivendell, the weapon having been the only one that came Ori's way in the chaos that had ensued on the great goblin's platform. Now that he had begun to strengthen on the journey, with his daily weapons training as they had traveled by pony, the scribe could defend himself fairly reasonably.

Perhaps there were advantages to be gained if he would branch out from the slingshot. A warhammer would do very nicely as a secondary weapon, he decided as he swung it again.

XXX

Thorin swung his sword as six goblins surrounded him, beheading one as he shoved Orcrist into two goblins at once. Not for the first time did he grudgingly thank the high elves of the first age for making such a fine weapon, though its length had taken some getting used to.

He stabbed another goblin, fist swinging as he pulled his sword off it and landing his blow on the goblin behind. He glanced behind him, smirking slightly as he saw Oin swinging his staff in a circle over his head, effectively smacking any goblin within a ten foot perimeter down before it got even close to him.

_Let it never be said that healers do not make formidable foes, _Thorin thought as he turned to face more goblins. _Oin might be a good healer, but he is deadly as an enemy. _

He was very grateful the healer had chosen to come along, because, between the sheer numbers of goblins, their initial fall down the sharp goblin tunnel, the cliff smashing incident, and Cirashala's injuries, they would need him when their fight was over.

_If only his pain draughts didn't taste so horrible,_ the dwarf king thought with a grimace.

XXX

A group of goblins suddenly shouted, and several of the dwarves looked up in horror as the vicious creatures mounted large ropes and swung down towards the platform they were standing on. Looking upward, then at the goblins, Thorin turned toward his men.

"Cut the ropes!" he cried, and they went to comply. The platform above them creaked and groaned, before falling straight into the goblin's path. Their momentum caused the goblins to swing around wildly as they were effectively 'tied' to the falling wood.

As soon as the dwarves knew they were out of immediate danger of an attack from the side, they continued on.

XXX

Kili growled as he swung his sword down at an oncoming goblin, before looking up in fear as his keen ears distinctly made out the noise of bows being drawn. His eyes widened as the crude black arrows were released in his direction, and he swung his sword up instinctively, not knowing what else to do.

The first arrow glanced off his sword, and he glanced down in surprise.

_That worked? _He thought to himself. But he had no time to ponder on his new method of defense, for two more arrows followed in quick succession, each blocked by his sword. Not confident that his sword could block them forever, he reached over and grabbed a ladder standing nearby.

Swinging the ladder in front of him, he heard the distinct sound of three more arrows imbedding into the wood, thanking Mahal above that goblins were lousy archers. He glanced at the young woman behind him with concern, still next to Bofur, before looking forward at the oncoming goblins. Bifur grabbed the other side, and they tilted the ladder forward, Bofur released her arm, and pushed behind Bifur, aiding them as they used the ladder as a battering ram.

Kili saw the opening up ahead in the platform, and as soon as they had pushed the goblins off, he threw it down to complete the gap and allow them to cross. He lingered behind as the other dwarves crossed, keeping an eye on Cirashala. He watched as she stumbled, her face deathly pale, and his eyes widened.

He pushed past the others, grabbing her arm even as Bofur insisted she would be fine with him.

"Bofur, go!" Kili cried, pushing the miner ahead of him. He shoved Cirashala in front of him, glancing in fear over his shoulder at the goblins following them. She hesitated at the ladder, and planted her feet as Kili nudged her, looking over her shoulder with panic.

"My balance isn't that good!" she cried. He looked at her, his eyes widening at the fear in hers. Dwalin behind him broke him out of his hesitation.

"Lad, move!" he cried, shoving Kili ahead onto the ladder. Without hesitation, the burly warrior grabbed the young woman, carrying her with one arm across the bridge, before setting her down on the other side. He kicked the edge of the ladder, knocking it down, before turning to her.

"Next time, wobbly or no, you WILL cross," he growled. "Hesitating will get you killed, and those who protect you as well!" His gaze went from Cirashala to Kili, his message clearly for both. He shoved her ahead into the young dwarf's arms, and Kili grasped her hand with his left and continued on running.

Cirashala looked with wide eyes at the goblins around them, wishing in that moment that she were anywhere but there.

XXX

Gandalf jumped down into a tunnel of sorts, slashing and hacking at more goblins. He looked back, seeing the entire company behind him, before rushing ahead. The company mounted what appeared to be a swinging bridge, and once they were all on, Kili reached up and slashed the rope holding it in place, allowing the swing to move towards the other side.

As the swing began to move, he went toward Cirashala, grasping her waist tightly as he planted his feet (being the only way he could hold her without placing more pressure on her wounds). The bridge approached the other side, and half their company jumped off, Fili and Thorin included.

Before the rest of them could jump, however, it began to swing back towards the other side. As more goblins jumped on the platform, Kili was forced to let go as they rushed against them. Cirashala raised her sword as well, her arms shaking with the effort.

_When did this sword become so heavy?_ She thought to herself as she swung at a goblin, slashing it across the torso. But there was no time to ponder it, as those still on the bridge began to run to the other side to jump off.

Everyone else was off and running, and as Cirashala and Kili jumped, several goblins also swung down to the platform ahead, cutting them off from the company. Cirashala landed on the platform with a thud, and as she began to stumble to her feet, a cry reached her ears. Turning her head sharply, her heart seemed to leap into her throat.

For all she could see were four fingers quickly slipping off the edge of the platform, Kili struggling to maintain his grip so as to avoid falling into the abyss below.

XXX

"Kili!" The bloodcurdling scream rang out in Thorin's ears, and he turned back, eyes widening as he saw a flash of grey dive toward the edge of the platform. The goblins behind them rushed towards her, before being forced to turn at the cries of the company behind _them_.

Thorin and Fili surged through the goblins, slashing and cutting as the others protected their flank. As they grew closer, Thorin could see above the goblin's heads, eyes widening in horror at the sight before him.

"NO! KILI!" he cried, and both he and his nephew continued their onslaught, praying they would reach the two in time.

XXX

Kili's eyes widened as he flew towards the edge of the platform, immediately knowing that he would just barely make it, if at all. As his fingers hit the edge of the rotting wood, he tightened his grip as much as he could, his sword clattering on the slanted rock faces below as he cried out.

He looked down in horror, seeing the cave wall come to a slant about fifteen feet below, but beyond that was darkness as the abyss went deeper, the bottom invisible to even his keen eyes in the darkness. He looked up again, seeing his hand begin to slip. His eyes widened before they tightly shut as his grip faltered.

"Goodbye, brother," he whispered as his hand slipped off.

XXX

Kili's eyes flew open as he felt something grasp his wrist, and looked up into terrified blue eyes.

"Kili!" the young woman cried, both her hands holding his wrist in a tight grip. "Grab my wrist!" A slight scraping noise reached his ears, and his eyes widened even further as he saw the toe of her boot poking through a slit in the wooden platform behind her, slowly sliding out. The young dwarf looked back at her, terrified brown eyes locking with equally terrified blue.

"Cirashala, you have to let me go," he said quietly, trying to keep his voice even. He failed miserably, and the tremor in his voice was quite audible. "If you don't, we will both fall to our deaths." She looked at him, and despite her terror fire sparked in her eyes.

"Like HELL I will!" she growled. "Now grab my damn wrist, you stubborn idiot!" A stunned Kili's eyes widened and he stared at her in shock, mouth opening and closing like a fish. Pain contorted her face as her foot slipped further, snapping him out of his surprise.

"Grab. On," she said through clenched teeth, and after hesitating one last moment, he twisted his wrist and grasped hers. He saw the raw pain in her face, jaw clenched even as her face went white. He could see the angry red marks through the gaping hole in the back of her bloody tunic, the crimson liquid still seeping from her wounds.

She began to pull, face twisted and red with effort as Kili visibly saw the muscles in her back flex. She pulled as hard as she could, panting, but the young dwarf was just too heavy, and he didn't budge any further up.

His eyes widened as he saw a goblin raise his sword behind her through the crack in the wood her boot was sliding out of.

"Behind you!" he cried, and as she looked up over her shoulder, the goblin shrieked, the familiar curved tip of Orcrist protruding through its stomach.

XXX

Thorin and Fili watched with wide eyes as the dead goblin fell on Cirashala's foot, dislodging it.

"NO!" Thorin's cries intermingled with his eldest nephew's, and he lunged toward the edge, Orcrist clattering at his side on the wooden platform as his gloved hand grasped air. He smacked down on the wooden platform, chest and torso just over the edge, and right arm dangling down as Fili grasped his legs.

But this time he wasn't fast enough.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXX**

**A response to guest reviewer-Guest- Here ya go! You're welcome :D Thanks for reviewing!**

**A response to guest reviewer Ari- Thank you! I pride myself on detail-stories that don't have much detail do not appeal to me. I am glad you like my story and it keeps you enthralled-it makes me feel good as a writer :D I am glad you liked my deviations in GT with the presence of my OC. Yes, her spirit and fire did kick in. She is very slow to anger, but when her friends were threatened, the volcano erupted. Yes, the company will view her differently now, because she did not divulge anything of their quest to the GG even after being cruelly beaten-she simply responded with an insult they perfectly well understood- which (after hunting for ages online) I finally found the translation to- I spit on your grave. Very fitting. The company will realize that she not only meant her oath, but just HOW respectful she was of them-even if they clearly angered her (as Gloin and Nori seem to be particularly good at) she barely even raises her voice, and even then only once when she told Thorin to stay put on the cliff. For her to scream, yell and growl VERY serious insults at the GG (even if the dwarves only understood half of them, as they are insults from our world) there was no mistaking the intent-or the utmost respect she has shown them. I hope you enjoy the change in the relationship dynamics which will occur after this event :D **

**A response to guest reviewer Ri-chan- Glad to relieve your stress :D Fili will be very concerned later, but at the moment (with the stone giants) he didn't have time to ponder whether it was right, wrong, acceptable or indifferent. It was a time when a split second decision had to be made, and he will deal with the specifics later on-but trust there WILL be talk between them about this (and just for the record Fili does not care for her in the same way Kili is beginning to-his is more of a "big brother" and friendship vibe). Yes, Kili bears a strong resemblance to her husband (but obviously considerably shorter-she is loosely based off me, and my husband, while 6 foot and not as stocky as a dwarf, does bear a striking resemblance to Kili-he looks far more like Kili's brother than Fili does!) and yes it will become important later on, because anything Cirashala may even remotely feel for him as far as affection extending beyond friendship she will attribute to that resemblance. She will basically think her moments of heart tugs are the result of her seeing the shadow of a ghost in him….if that makes sense. **

**A response to guest reviewer Claire- Glad to give you plenty of chapters after your vacation :) As for the beard touching-Tolkien emphasized that dwarves are very proud of their beards, very meticulous, and they are only shaved in shame. Plus, their women are few and very precious, so all of that combined led me to believe something like that would be very plausible and very intense. I am glad you liked it :D No, the dwarves didn't understand all of her swearing (though they definitely understood by her tone that they were major insults regardless) but they did understand some of it (though there will be a humorous moment later when she sheepishly explains just exactly what motherfucker means lol ;) And yes she was pissed off because they threatened her dwarves and her friends and her king (plus, why would anyone want to torture someone as nice as Ori? Oh, right-goblins ;P ) and she doesn't care about appearances with the GG, not like she does with the dwarves. And she's cranky because they are losing sleep…and she's tired. Yes, the current predicament is causing her to think less on her family, because her anger is pushing her sadness to the back. She is most definitely not done grieving, but she is beginning to finally feel other emotions again, and will begin to heal as they go through their journey. I have been distracted from writing by winter prep and the new (AWESOME) Desolation of Smaug trailer, but I will hopefully write another chapter in a few days :D **

**Thanks to all who review, favorite, and follow- seriously, you guys are the best! :D :D :D**


	49. Chapter 49

_**I do not own any of the characters or the Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC) those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reull Tolkien, and without his genius,this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.**_

_**Please review! I love getting them-they keep me encouraged J**_

Thorin watched in shock and horror as his nephew and Cirashala fell down into the abyss below. His face was as pale as a ghost, and his blue eyes widened, his kingly mask gone entirely.

His breath came in quick gasps as he watched them fall into the shadows, their cries ceasing abruptly seconds later. His eyes began to water involuntarily, and his body went numb.

_Not Kili,_ his shattered mind whispered to himself. _Not my dear, sweet, fun loving Kili. _

His thoughts were broken by the most heart wrenching wail he had ever heard in his life.

He had heard the wails of the survivors of the dragon attack echo across the valley the night the dragon took Erebor. He had heard the wails as children perished from starvation in their mother's arms. He had heard the wails as the fathers-to-be held their dead wives, who had perished during childbirth. He had heard the wails of kin as their brave soldiers never returned from Azanulbizar. He had heard the wails of the surviving soldiers as they watched their fallen kin burn, the dead too numerous to be properly buried in tombs of honor. He had heard his own wails as he discovered his younger brother, Frerin, dead on the bank of the Kheled-Zâram-dying too young at the tender age of 48. He had heard the wails of his sister as her husband took his last breath in her arms. And he had heard his wail as he believed Fili to have been crushed against the mountainside earlier that very night.

And not one of those wails could ever compare to the one that echoed through the very core of this mountain itself.

XXX

Fili had caught his uncle's leg just in time to keep him from following his brother and Cirashala into the abyss. But as he heard his brother's cry, intermingle with the muffled cry of the young woman, suddenly cease, his heart tore in two.

"KILI!" the young dwarf screamed, his desperate wail causing the goblins nearby to shriek and cover their ears. "KILI! NO! NOT MY BROTHER! KILI!" The young heir let go of Thorin's leg, scrambling to the edge to look over, blue eyes wild.

The only thing that kept Thorin from falling as well was Dwalin's quick reflexes. He didn't need to look back to know who had grabbed his leg and pulled him back to the safety of the ledge. The dwarf king caught his young nephew just in time to keep him from jumping into the abyss after his brother.

"KILI!" Fili screamed, tears streaming down his face. "NO! LET ME GO!" Thorin's grip tightened, and he yanked his nephew to his feet, needing both his arms and his full strength to pull the anguished dwarf from the edge of the platform.

Fili fought like a wild animal that was trapped. He kicked, bucked, and even bit Thorin's hand so hard he drew blood, and it took every ounce of Thorin's strength to not let go.

Dwalin moved between the heirs of Durin and the passage, and, together with Balin and Gloin, pushed the two down the path. The company defended them at need, since Fili was in no condition to fight and Thorin was completely preoccupied in trying to keep his heir from running back the way they came.

Fili kept screaming, first in Westron, then in Khuzdul, calling for his brother over and over again. He refused to stop kicking and fighting, and in sheer desperation, Thorin picked up his nephew, and, holding the slightly shorter young dwarf's back flush against his chest, ran for all he was worth.

The only way the dwarf king was able to not allow the grief of Kili's death to overwhelm him was his determination that the young wailing dwarf in his arms would make it out of the goblin tunnels alive. Thorin felt his heavy heart pound against his ribs, the fragile orb shattering into a thousand pieces, but now was not the time for grief. He had seen far too much grief in his life, and knew that a time would come where he could allow the sorrow to flow. But that time was not now, not while his only remaining nephew was in danger.

_Forgive me, Fili, _the young heir's uncle thought as tears threatened to shed out of his own eyes, knowing that being carried like a child would utterly humiliate the young dwarf. _But I cannot lose you too._

XXX

As soon as they had begun to fall, Kili yanked hard on Cirashala's left wrist, pulling her to him. They fell down, Kili's back hitting the slant in the rock hard as his arms wrapped protectively around her, his left hand shielding her head from the sharp rock.

He could hear her cries emanating from his shoulder, muffled as he pressed her closer to his body in order to shield her from pain as long as possible. Ducking his head into hers, his eyes squeezed tightly shut as his body began to fall freely, his heart leaping into his throat and tears pricking the corners of his eyes.

_He had always told himself he was not afraid of death. He had always imagined the glorious battle where they would finally fall, old and fierce warriors dying in glory and honor and with renown. For nothing could separate them-Fili, the fierce young warrior, who would look at a situation with a calculating mind, analyzing his opponent's strengths and weaknesses, before striking with deadly accuracy, and Kili-the headstrong, impulsive young warrior who would jump in to protect the ones he loved, and rely on his heart and instincts to tell him what to do, striking with a passion and ferocity that had only gained accuracy through many trials and years of practice, but had proven effective as his enemies cowered in fear at the fire in his dark eyes. And not falling until every enemy was slain save the last, before dying hand in hand to await their awakening in the Halls of Mandos at the end of the world._

_The head, and the heart. _

_Apart they were vulnerable, but together they were invincible. Or so he thought. _

Now, he was facing certain death, and he was not in a glorious battle. He was not standing back to back with his brother, striking down deadly foes and ensuring their place in the annals of time as great warriors of renown. He was not old yet strong with a great white beard, but young, inexperienced and with scruff that could barely even be _called_ a beard.

He was young-too young to die. And he was frightened.

XXX

The free fall lasted only a second or two, Kili's eyes flying open at the feeling of his shoulder and arm smashing into another ledge. He cried out as pain flew through his shoulder and scraped hand, but had no time to think about it as they struck another protrusion.

They continued this way for a few moments, slamming from one rock to another, as though this rock formation had been formed by a great waterfall hundreds of years ago, before they crashed into ice cold water, their cries ceasing as the water engulfed them.

XXX

Cirashala liked to think of herself as brave. She did have fears, several in fact, but there were only four things she feared with an irrational ferocity.

One of those things was dark water, and as soon as they crashed into the underground tributary, she froze, paralyzed in her fear. The utter darkness in the tunnel this tributary was in made the experience even more frightening, for there was no way to distinguish which way the surface was, or even if they were able to surface at all. The water was flowing through a pitch black tunnel near the base of the mountain, and it could very well fill up the tunnel entirely as it dropped lower and lower from its source.

Searing, burning pain laced through her wounds and scratches, and as the dark water entered her mouth, she spit it out, the taste bitter and foul. She was sure black spots were forming in her eyes, but since it was so dark she could not see to tell.

The moment of paralysis lasted for a split second, before she began to violently thrash about in a panic, kicking and moving her arms as though the pain didn't register in her mind. The only thing she could think of was _out. _

_I have to get out of the water!_

XXX

Kili's lungs were beginning to burn, not having expected the fall into the underground river. He hadn't managed to take a full breath before, and he began to kick rapidly toward where he thought the surface would be, praying he was correct.

As Cirashala suddenly began to fight him unexpectedly, Kili's grip tightened on her. The young dwarf was slightly startled by her actions, as he knew, with where her injuries were at across her back and shoulders, along with her exhaustion, she likely would have trouble swimming.

Yet neither the injuries nor exhaustion seemed to have any effect on her, for she continued to push back and fight.

_Air, _he thought. _She needs air. _

As his mind began to be hazy, he gave one last powerful kick, and their heads broke above the water.

XXX

Cirashala felt Kili kicking, and as soon as they surfaced, she gasped for air, sputtering as her face was splashed with the foul water. Once her burning lungs had been refreshed, she began to scream, the water still dark, along with the stifling darkness all around them.

The screams nearly deafened the young dwarf behind her, and he tightened his hold.

"Cirashala! It's all rig—" His words were cut off by a splash to his face. "I've got you!" His words fell on deaf ears as she continued to fight like a caged animal.

_Why is she screaming? _Kili thought to himself. _Every goblin in the mountain will hear her!_

He moved his hand in front of her mouth, making sure to not cover her nose so she could still breathe, but she yanked her head away. Kili was about to try again, but a bright speck of light ahead caught his attention, as did several boulders within the underground river as they came into the light.

Ceasing his attempts to cover her mouth, he shielded her again as they began to ricochet off the boulders, the large stones being remains of cave ins within the tunnel that had been too big to be carried downstream by the forceful current.

He cried out as the hand protecting her head slammed against a rock, scraping the knuckles further. They drew closer to the opening, and Kili just was able to discern the pines outside of the hole, the tops of smaller leafed trees just visible. His eyes widened, realizing that the tributary was likely exiting the tunnel above ground level, causing a waterfall of sorts.

He opened his mouth to warn Cirashala, when the current suddenly twisted his body, the back of his head striking one of the boulders in the strong current.

Cirashala felt the young dwarf holding her go limp, just as they burst out into the waning daylight.

XXX

She screamed as they fell down ten feet into the water below, narrowly missing some rocks at the cliff base.

The dark water surrounded her, though reduced to simply murky as a result of the sunlight. Her desperation for air outweighing the burning in her back, she began to rise to the surface, her arms and legs moving frantically until she broke free of the foul water.

Her body protested the movements of her treading water, but she was thankful that the current was gentle, unlike in the tunnel. She was certain that the tightness of the tunnel had caused the current to appear much faster than it was, but at the moment her mind wasn't on the current, but rather on Kili. She gasped air in, before looking around. Her eyes began to widen as she saw no sign of the young dwarf.

"Kili?" she cried, looking around. Knowing that it wouldn't take but a few minutes for the young dwarf to drown, she took a deep breath and dove under the water with barely a second's hesitation. Her heart pounded, but she managed to push her fear back in her concern.

She looked around the depths, before being forced to surface again for air. This time, she didn't take a completely full breath, remembering that her lungs wouldn't feel the almost immediate need to expel, and dove under again.

She swam just a little further, before a dark shape in the water caught her eye. Swimming over, she saw the young dwarf near the bottom of the riverbed. She immediately threw her arms under his and tugged upward, but the young dwarf didn't budge.

_He's too heavy, _she thought to herself, fighting to keep from panicking. She felt the rough leather of his coat, and her eyes widened. _His coat…leather coats are very heavy, and the fur must have soaked up the water._

She reached under, and pushed it off, though with effort. Her lungs began to burn, but she knew that she must get him out. She would not allow an innocent person to die-not again.

She reached under his arms, and used his weight to pull herself to the bottom, planting her feet on the stone. She crouched down, holding his torso tightly, before pushing off the rock with all her might. Kicking as hard as she could, she slowly rose to the surface, the young dwarf's weight much lessened without his heavy coat.

She broke the surface, barely managing to get Kili's face above water, before her own face got pushed down by his weight.

_He's still too heavy! _She thought to herself. She swam toward the shore as fast as she could, kicking upward suddenly until she could choke out a second or two of air, before she went back under.

But, whether it was her own doing, or some external force at work, she didn't know, but she kept the young dwarf's head above water until they reached the shore.

XXX

As soon as her feet found purchase on the riverbed, she stood up. Her arms quivered with exhaustion, but as she looked at the few feet she had left, she took a deep breath, and, digging her feet in, pulled as hard as she could.

Kili's head lolled against his chest as she tugged him out, the young woman collapsing as she got all but his lower legs and boots out of the water. She laid him down, before scrambling to his side.

Placing her hand over his mouth, her eyes widened as she felt no air. She scrabbled for a pulse even as she took a deep breath. Finding a pulse, albeit weak, she leaned forward, tilting his head up and pinching his nose.

Her shaking lips enclosed over his, and she blew rescue breaths. She took breath after breath, looking at his blue tinged face anxiously. After four breaths with no response, tears pricked in the corner of her eyes.

_No…._

In frustration, she raised her fist, and struck the young dwarf's chest just below where his ribcage came together as hard as she could. The dark haired dwarf's body jumped from the impact, and as she leaned in, he began to gurgle.

She turned him on his side away from her, the young dwarf's body heaving as he gasped and coughed up the foul liquid, followed by vomit. As soon as his heaves subsided, she turned him toward her, the adrenaline coursing through her veins finally beginning to cease, and her remaining strength with it.

Her body precariously close to collapsing, she placed her hands on his chest, looking down at him with her wet tendrils brushing his equally soaked tunic. The young dwarf's brown eyes slowly opened to meet blue, concern and pain in the frightened orbs.

"C-Cira…" he trailed off, and her eyes closed, before opening them again.

"A-are you….all….r-right?" she whispered, the blood draining from her face as she spoke, her lips paling to almost match her white cheeks as her arms trembled violently. Kili swallowed, wincing in pain as he attempted to draw in a breath, his throat stinging.

"Y-yes," his hoarse voice whispered. She nodded slightly.

"Good," she whispered in turn, before darkness overtook her and her body collapsed atop his chest.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXX**

**Author's note:**

**MY DEAR READERS,**

**It was kindly pointed out to me by reviewer GiroNatsu that I made a terrible mistake last chapter…Apparently in the sentence that reads "Dwalin came upon a group of ****_dwarves_**** blocking his way, and swung his twin axes, Grasper and Keeper, slitting their throats in one stroke." I apologize-that meant to say "came upon a group of GOBLINS" not dwarves lol! I apologize for the error and confusion :D Most of my typos or "edits" done by my 18 month old (who likes to crawl in my lap when I type) I generally ignore, because reposting chapters is a pain in the butt. **

**Again, I apologize for the error, and please forgive the writer who is also a mommy with very cuddly small children….who have weird fascinations with my keyboard…. :)**

**And once again, thank you to all who review, favorite and follow-you all give me the determination to keep going with my fic :D **

**Namarie!**

**Tweetzone86**

**A response to guest reviewer Ri-chan- Don't worry-the resemblance issue will come out at some point soon story wise, though it might take a few chapters :) And yes, things will "warm up" so to speak after the fall. Thanks for reviewing :D **


	50. Chapter 50

_**I do not own any of the characters or the Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC) those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reull Tolkien, and without his genius,this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.**_

_**Please review! I love getting them-they keep me encouraged J**_

When the young dwarf's eyes opened again, the shadows had fallen deeper. He looked at the tall pines intermingled with the smaller broadleaf trees above him, seeing the deep reds and oranges of the setting sunlight amongst them.

_W-where am I?_

He felt a strange weight on his chest, and lifted his head, wincing as pain shot through the back of it. Sliding his elbows up slowly even as pain reverberated through his whole body, he brought his upper body up off the ground just a bit, eyes widening as he realized what the source of the odd weight was.

Cirashala was still unconscious, her white face frighteningly pale amongst the dark, damp curls covering her face. Her body was limp against his, and if it weren't for the sight of her back moving up and down, he would have thought she were dead.

His eyes caught sight of the angry red marks on her back, and the memories of the last few hours played through his head. The fall into the mountain, being captured and overwhelmed by goblins, the grotesque goblin as he pointed to him, saying, "Start with the youngest!", Cirashala speaking up, the beating, the escape, then falling into the mountain tributary.

After that, events were a blur. He remembered hitting his head on something, then darkness. Then…

The young dwarf's eyes widened in shock as he gasped, his cheeks flaming as he recalled the feeling of someone's mouth on his, air being pushed into his lungs, followed by a hard hit to his torso, coughing up water and sick, and just barely making out Cirashala looking down at him, before she collapsed.

He looked down at her, almost forgetting to breathe as the realization hit him.

_She…she saved me, _he thought to himself, eyes still wide. _It was her that pulled me out of the water. She…she breathed for me. Her lips….on mine…._

That strange tugging feeling came back, stronger than it had been before. He sat up with an audible wince, bringing his arm around to cradle her upper body gently, taking care to not place too much pressure on her wounds. Her hair fell over her face during the movement as he cradled her head in the crook of his arm, and Kili brought a shaking hand up to brush it out of her face and behind her small ear.

He swallowed heavily as he looked down at her, recalling the strong words she had said as he begged her to let him go lest she fall too.

_Like hell I will. _

XXX

The dwarves had just begun to think they had escaped the goblins, when suddenly the platform beneath their feet shook.

Dori and Gloin had been in front, when suddenly the massive form of the great goblin crashed through the planks ahead of them, blocking their path. The grotesque creature smirked evilly as he planted his great club on the wooden bridge with an echoing thunk.

Gandalf moved ahead of the company, staring up at the giant goblin. The creature sneered at him.

"You thought you could escape me?" he shouted, swinging his club down at the wizard. Gandalf jumped backward, then again as the great goblin's club came swinging back around. Dori and Gloin behind him had to catch the wizard, pushing him back upright to keep him from falling. The goblin king looked at him, a calculating gleam in his eye.

"What are you going to do now, _wizard_?" he spat, his great chin wobbling beneath him. The wizard was not one to be underestimated, however, and immediately shoved his pointed staff into the goblin's left eye with a snarl, knowing full well who had ordered the young woman beaten.

Not having expected it at all, the goblin cried out, meaty hand moving over his eye as he stumbled backwards. The next thing the goblin felt was the kind of fiery burning sensation that only an elvish blade could inflict, the searing pain from his ripped open abdomen pulsing through his body.

With another cry, the goblin fell to his knees, trying desperately to hold his entrails in. He looked up at the furious wizard, noting that these words were likely to be his last. The great goblin had ruled with might and size, not warrior prowess, simply because his sheer size elicited fear into the hearts of the tiny goblins.

As such, though he wasn't the smartest creature who had ever walked Middle-earth, he was at least intelligent enough to know when he had been beaten. He glanced down to his protruding belly, the gobs of fat intermingling with the tubes of his entrails, then back up at the wizard.

"That'll do it," he muttered, the words being the first and last thoughts through his head, before the Foe-hammer sliced through his neck.

XXX

Kili slid his arm under her knees, and with a great deal of effort due to his pain, he managed to stand up with her in his arms.

Her head lolled backward, and as he tried to shift his left shoulder to bring it back up, pain shot through it, causing the young dwarf to wince.

_That will surely bruise come morning, _he thought to himself as he looked at his shoulder. He started, noticing for the first time that his coat was gone.

"What?" he muttered to himself, looking at her, then at the river in confusion. "Where is my coat?"

"'n riv'r," she mumbled, causing him to turn towards her. She brought her head up against his shoulder shakily, a slight whimper escaping her at the movement, though her lips barely moved. "Too…h'vy."

Her eyes remained shut, but he swore that his ears weren't playing tricks on him. He glanced at her, then at the river with trepidation. A slight gust of wind blew through the trees suddenly, making both of them shiver and Kili made a decision.

He walked over to the nearest tree and set her down gently, sucking in a breath as the movement hurt his shoulder. He leaned her against the tree sideways so the rough bark wouldn't irritate her wounds further, and she made a small noise in her throat as she turned her face towards him.

"We need my coat," he whispered to her, not wanting to leave her alone but knowing they absolutely needed the piece of clothing. "Stay here. I will be back in a minute or two, is all." He glanced down at his torso, noting that he still had his weapons strap on him, though the only weapon remaining in it was his knife. He withdrew it from the sheath slowly and stared at it for a moment, remembering the horror of seeing it used to cut her back.

Swallowing heavily in an effort to suppress the memory, he picked up her hand, pressing the hilt of the knife into her palm.

"If anything attacks you or comes near you, even if it's only a squirrel, you use it," he whispered to her, hoping she was lucid enough to understand him. To his relief she nodded slightly, her lips still drawn tight and her eyes still shut tightly.

Kili looked at her pale face, the tension in it clearly visible, and knew she must be in a great deal of pain. He quickly removed his boots, weapons strap, and jerkin, making sure that he was as light as possible, before standing.

Taking one last concerned glance at the young woman, he turned and stepped into the river.

XXX

The water was still quite cold, and Kili's shoulder continued to pain him with each movement. His dark eyes scanned the depths, trying to peer through the murky, filthy water to spot his coat.

Unfortunately, he had no idea where he had landed, though figured he hadn't hit the rocks, since he was obviously still very much alive. He surfaced, drawing more air in his sore lungs, before diving again. He began to feel the toll the fall had taken on his body, and as the aches grew, so did his resolve to hurry and find the coat so he could get out of the icy water.

Several more dives later, he knew his body was going to give out soon. All he had succeeded in finding were some goblin remains, no doubt because the spindly creatures could not possibly swim with their scrawny, clawed arms. Not wanting to experience a near drowning for a third time in his life, he made one last dive, hoping against odds that his coat hadn't washed downstream.

His eyes scanned the depths as he swam to the bottom, feeling with his hands even as he looked with his eyes. He was just about to surface, when he spotted the shadow of something that looked far different than the dead goblins.

_Finally, _he thought to himself as he spotted his cloak. He grabbed it and began to swim to the surface, seeing immediately why she must have taken it off him in the first place. The waterlogged coat was incredibly heavy.

_She is very clever, _he thought as his head broke through the surface, the young dwarf taking deep lungfuls of air. _She couldn't possibly have had time to figure out why I was so heavy without running out of air-she must have known right away it was the coat. _

He swam to the shore, stumbling a bit as the coat's weight grew more in his arm the second he set foot out of the river. He realized very quickly that the water must have given it some buoyancy. He looked anxiously toward her, but she was right as he had left her-leaning up against the tree, knife in hand by her side.

He wiped the water out of his eyes with the back of his hand, dragging the coat behind him as he approached her, sighing heavily.

_Even if I had some flint to make a fire, it will take forever to dry this coat out, _he thought to himself, knowing that his steel knife would suffice for the second half of that combination. The thought of the flint reminded him of their precarious situation. They were goodness knows where in the wild, far too close to the goblin city for his liking, with absolutely no food or supplies, or bandages for their wounds.

He crouched down by her, his demeanor seemingly calm. But had she been able to open her eyes against the pain and look directly into his eyes, she would have known in an instant.

The young dwarf was very, very worried.

XXX

The bridge they stood on began to creak, the sound of wood supports snapping echoing throughout the cavern. Suddenly, it gave way, the quickly splintering wood sliding down the side of the cavern at an alarming rate.

The company held on as tightly as they could, not having any other choice as they slid down the steep slope. Their yells and cries intermingled as several of them sank to the lower levels during the descent. There were seconds where they free fell, their hearts in their throats, intermingling with seconds where the ends would catch on the walls, slowing their descent.

After what seemed like hours but was merely seconds, they all crashed down at the bottom of the cavern, the raging, angry howls of the goblins sounding far above them. Several of the dwarves peeked through the debris, dazed and sporting many scratches and bruises, and a few nasty headaches as their skulls had banged against pieces of wood.

Several groans could be heard, and Bofur looked around at them, shaking his head in wonder that they all survived.

_No, _he thought just as he was about to say that it could have been worse. _Not all of us survived. _

His heart was heavy at the loss of the two young souls. Young Kili, so bright and vivacious, and always a delight whenever he entered his brother's toy shop. The bright young lad, who was always conspiring with his brother, always pulling pranks, and always ready to fight for those he loved. Gone.

Bofur then thought about the young woman. She had gone through so much, being so willing to aid them despite her obvious grief. He thought back to how she had helped him in the ice cavern, and how she had been so willing to forgive his accidental "grab". So stubborn and determined, so fiery, and slow to trust, but fought fiercely and protected loyally those she called friend. So quick to forgive, and yet so slow to anger, unless those she cared about were threatened, and then her anger was a force to be reckoned with.

Like a dwarf, and yet not like one.

XXX

Kili shivered as he reached for her shoulder, the quickly sinking sun leaving their location in its shadow. He placed his hand gently on it, not wanting to startle the armed young woman even as his eye was on his knife, but wishing to get her attention at the same time.

She jumped slightly, but Kili could tell her strength was gone, and she was very weak. She whimpered, her jaw clenched, and opened her heavy lidded eyes slowly at him. He noticed she was hunched over slightly, and her blue eyes spoke of nothing but pain.

"Cirashala," he began, not quite sure how to tell her about the seriousness of their situation as he glanced around. "We need to move to a safer spot." She groaned low in her throat, before leaning back up against the tree.

"I…I c-can't," she whispered, brow furrowing and eyes clenching as she curled into herself, her grip on the knife failing. "H-hurts…." She began to slump forward, the knife clattering to the rocks below, and Kili reached out his arm quickly and caught her.

He looked at the utterly exhausted and pained young woman, before laying her down on the ground on her side. He put his soaking wet coat on, not knowing how else to carry both it and her, donned his weapon strap and sheathed his knife, before gathering her into his arms.

_I must find a safe, protected spot with clean water, _he thought to himself, flushing slightly as he glanced at her with concern, his fingertips just barely grazing the highest mark on her back. _Her wounds need to be properly tended to, and quickly. _

The only problem was, he didn't know where in Middle-earth they even were, let alone where a clean spring was. He glanced down at her, the pale face drawn with pain, and made up his mind.

He began to walk east, holding the injured young woman close with her head tucked into his neck and praying that he would find a spring soon.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXX**

**A response to guest reviewer Ari- Glad to oblige you with another update :) I am glad you are enjoying the story-I like it when readers get excited :D As for this, I do not think that either of them will necessarily view it as a debt at this point, because their friendship has already been established. Plus, they were BOTH responsible for getting the two of them out of there alive, so any potential debt is canceled by the other this time ;) As for Thorin's reaction…well, all I can say is wait and see (don't want to spoil all my readers, though I would be happy to spoil you if you pm'ed me :) It's just that other readers might be reading my response to you here, is all. But you are partially right, if that helps :D**

**Thanks to all who review, favorite and follow-having dedicated readers means a lot :D **


	51. Chapter 51

_**I do not own any of the characters or the Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC) those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reull Tolkien, and without his genius,this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.**_

_**Please review! I love getting them-they keep me encouraged J**_

Kili had walked for no more than two minutes before Cirashala began to moan in his arms. He froze, glancing down at her with concern.

"Cirashala?" he asked, the worry clear in his tone. Her eyes were squeezed shut, her pale face twisting in pain.

"Y-you….can't….carry," she gasped, groaning as she curled into herself. "H-hurts….back…" She trailed off again, groaning loudly. She stuffed her face into his shoulder to muffle the sounds, her grip on his tunic causing her knuckles to turn white.

Kili glanced around quickly, before setting her down. She immediately curled up on her side, trying in vain to keep from crying out. Her breaths came quickly, and the young dwarf racked his mind for a solution as he crouched down beside her, ignoring his own pain as best he could.

_She cannot walk in such pain, _he thought to himself. _I have to carry her, but how? _

"Cirashala," he said quietly. "Can you, I mean…if I were to carry you on my back, do you think you could hold on?" She pressed her lips together in an effort to keep from crying out again, before nodding shakily.

Kili reached under her, sitting her up. She cried out in pain, and as soon as she was upright, he released her shoulders. He took her hand gently, moving in front of her and drawing it over his shoulder. He felt behind him for her other hand, pulling it over his injured shoulder with a silent grimace.

He pulled gently until she was nestled up against his back, and brought her hands together. She clasped them, and he began to stand slowly, reaching behind him to draw her legs up and holding her under her knees. He was barely able to keep from crying out in pain himself as her body put pressure on his bruised back and his shoulders supported her weight. His body shook with the effort as his breaths came quickly.

_Now is not the time to be weak, _he thought to himself as his shoulders and back throbbed in pain. _She is injured far worse than you are. _

XXX

He set off toward the east again, stumbling over tree roots and loose stones. Feeling her shivering behind him, he once again wished he had some way to start a fire. He would have been content with a pair of spectacles or some other such piece of glass even, but they did not have any glass either.

_What are we going to do? _He thought to himself as he saw the shadows falling deeper in the waning sunlight. _We need a fire, at least. _

In the increasing darkness, he stumbled over a large tree root, falling to his knees. His damp hair stuck to his forehead, the water from the river mingling with sweat. He was crouched there, panting, when he heard it. A faint gurgling, but it was definitely the sound of running water.

The exhausted young dwarf shakily rose to his feet and headed towards the faint noise, the sound of splashing water increasing. He pushed through some bushes, Cirashala clenching him tighter with muffled cries as the branch tips poked her wounded back, before stopping and sighing in relief.

There, just visible in the late dusk, was a mountain spring filled with cool, clear water.

XXX

Dwalin groaned from his position on the cold stone floor. Several large pieces of wood were atop him, but as the dead body of the great goblin fell on top of those still trapped between the layers of the broken bridge, he was quite thankful that he had been at least partially away from direct impact.

He bit back a sarcastic remark about how Mahal must be quite amused at their plight right now, and focused on attempting to push the beam off his body. His warrior-trained ears caught the sound of furious goblins coming closer, and he looked upward toward the direction of the loud cries, his eyes widening as far as they would go.

An entire _army _of goblins were swarming like spiders down the steep rocky slope, their fury bent toward one direction-kill them. Kill them all.

He had seen it before- the warriors maimed beyond recognition, their bodies covered in dried blood that had flowed out of their hundreds of wounds-an indication that they had still been alive at the time the horrific wounds were inflicted. Ears bitten off (in fact, his had been bitten by a goblin during the battle of Azanulbizar, taking off a good chunk of the upper lobe), manhoods removed with jagged weapons, fingers and other appendages missing, and the worst of it was their beards and hair-torn out by the roots.

And now, to see an entire army of rage and hate filled goblins amassing against twelve dwarves, a hobbit and a wizard, filled the always brave dwarf with an unimaginable fear.

"Gandalf!" he cried. The wizard and remaining company members looked upward, before beginning to scramble out of the pile quickly, pain from injuries giving way to sheer terror. Thorin grabbed his nephew, who had thankfully been knocked unconscious at some point during their descent, as Gandalf cried out.

"Follow me!" the wizard cried, "Hurry!"

XXX

Kili dropped to his knees in relief, his back hurting very badly. He heard a moan as Cirashala's grip faltered, the young woman slumping off him onto the ground.

The young woman cried out in pain as her body hit the ground, shivering badly. Kili looked at her with concern, before removing his weapons strap. He set it down within reach next to the base of a tall pine, before removing his sodden coat and laying it out on the grass.

He crawled towards her, the cool air stinging the scrapes on his hands, face, knees and elbows where his trousers and tunic had ripped during the fall.

"Cirashala?" he asked softly. He reached up and moved her hair out of her face, frowning when he saw her jaw clenched. Her blue eyes suddenly snapped open with a gasp, and before Kili could react, she lurched forward and began to heave stomach acid.

Not knowing what else to do, he held her hair back until acid stopped coming up, her body continuing to heave for a few minutes. Whenever he had gotten ill as a child, his mother had also rubbed between his shoulder blades, but given her wounds, he did not dare to try.

She stopped heaving, tears streaming down her cheeks as she slumped back to where she had been before she had gotten sick.

"I-I'm s….sorry," she whispered shakily, her cheeks flushing in embarrassment despite her pale face. Kili shook his head.

"You're hurt," he said quietly. "There is no shame in that." He paused as he saw a small pouch hanging from her belt, a curiously shaped lump in it.

"What is in here?" he asked, gesturing towards the pouch, surprised the goblins hadn't taken it. Cirashala glanced down, before closing her eyes.

"M-my pain tea herbs," she replied shakily through gritted teeth. "T-they're worth….less now, a-after the r-river. A-and my f-flint and steel." Kili started, his eyes widening at the last part of her sentence.

_Her flint and steel?!_

Not bothering to question just _why _she had put her flint and steel in her pain tea pouch, he grabbed it, swiftly untying it with his deft archer's fingers. Looking around for some broken off branches and pine cones, he gathered a bundle within seconds and began to rapidly strike the two elements together, tossing aside the soaked herbs.

The sparks flew over the pile at his knees, until a thin trail of smoke rose up from the pinecones and sticks. He set the flint and steel on the ground next to him, crouching down to blow on the small pile. Within a few seconds, an orange flame sprung up, bathing the small area in firelight.

Kili slowly added larger branches, until the fire was big enough to begin warming them. He glanced at his waterlogged coat, before moving to drape it over a bush near the fire to dry.

He glanced at Cirashala, noting her torn tunic, then at the fire. His cheeks turned crimson and he couldn't look at her in shame for the ludicrous idea running through his head, but he realized that he must find a way to clean her wounds and bandage them before they became infected, and figure out how to make a cleansing rag and bandages out of _something_ they already had in order to do so.

But how was a shy, young dwarf warrior, who was vaguely familiar with how to heal injuries but by no means an _actual _healer, supposed to tell an injured young woman to take off her tunic, cover her front, and convince her to let him shred hers for bandages and clean her wounds, before offering her his own tunic in return so she could be decent?

Kili had absolutely no idea, but it was the only one he could think of, given their circumstances. He could only hope she wouldn't kill him for his suggestion.

XXX

Bilbo was in a rather big pickle. He had managed to slip past being taken with the dwarves after they had first fallen into the goblin trap, only to end up fighting a lone goblin and getting both of them knocked down into what appeared to be giant mushrooms at the bottom of the dank cave.

_He had found a golden ring, a strange find under any circumstances, but made even more so by just where he found it, and ended up following a very strange creature to an underground lake. He had heard rushing water faintly sounding from the other side of the lake, but had paid it no mind as the lanky creature had appeared right in front of him unexpectedly, startling the already tense hobbit. _

_He had been quite grateful for Gandalf's insistence that he take the sword, for the creature had seemed to fear it greatly. He had been quite puzzled by the strange being, who would switch from a pleasant tone to a nasty, grating tone combined with an unusual, throaty cough that sounded like "Gollum". _

_The creature, which Bilbo dubbed "Gollum" in reference to the cough, seemed to alternate between talking to him and arguing with himself, even screaming, "Shut up!" at his alternate personality. The two personalities warred with each other, and Bilbo saw his opportunity. _

_He had challenged the creature to a game of riddles, as the nicer of the two personalities had seemed to greatly enjoy them. They bantered back and forth, deciding that if the hobbit won, he would be shown the way out, but if the creature won, the hobbit would be eaten whole. Bilbo had looked at the impossibly thin and spindly creature, wondering just how he would manage such a feat, but shrugged it off, deciding to just win and not worry about it. _

_The creature was indeed very good at riddles, and had made the poor hobbit panic on several occasions. The last riddle had nearly cost him the game, the hobbit completely flummoxed until the creature unknowingly gave him a hint-time's up. The answer was time, and the hobbit shouted it out, much to the creature's displeasure. _

_The hobbit could see that the eviler of the two personalities was beginning to prevail, and knew that his time was limited. He spouted off the first thing that came to his mind. What have I got in my pocket? _

_It was, in all honesty, completely against the rules of the widely renown game of wits, but fortunately for the hobbit, the creature had, in fact, asked him to ask a question, not a riddle. _

_Gollum, of course, couldn't answer, his guesses being completely incorrect (even throwing in a fourth for good measure, though he only was entitled three). Thus Bilbo won the game, but Gollum wasn't going to lose so easily. _

_He panicked as he had reached for his belt, searching frantically for something he had lost. Bilbo had asked what he lost (which might not have been the best idea, given the circumstances) but had a feeling he knew. Gollum had seemed to know too, and had glared at him with the most murderous look the hobbit had ever beheld in his life. _

_And somehow, the hobbit had felt that this creature was far more dangerous than he looked. His suspicion was confirmed when the livid Gollum had thrown a rock at his head, the elvish sword barely deflecting the projectile. _

_Bilbo had run for his life then, getting stuck at one point and losing his brass buttons, before breaking free. He had stumbled, and the unadorned golden ring had flown up, coming down on his middle finger. _

Now, the hobbit looked bewildered at the strange new world he saw. Instead of clear cut clarity, everything was slightly distorted in a whitish grey light. Gollum jumped after him, but the strangest thing was-the creature didn't seem to see him.

"Thief!" Gollum cried, looking around. He looked directly at the hobbit, but his expression didn't seem to even notice him. His eyes not even blinking, he turned and looked around once more. "Baggins!" The hobbit gaped at him, his eyes widening comically.

_He-he can't see me, _Bilbo thought as realization dawned on his features. He glanced down at his finger, the ring of metal shining brightly atop his finger. _The ring- it must be making me invisible. _

Gollum scampered off down the passageway, and Bilbo, realizing that the creature was unwittingly leading him out, followed.

It wasn't until Gollum stopped that the hobbit did. To the hobbit's surprise, Gollum jumped back behind a boulder, hiding. Bilbo's keen hobbit ears immediately picked out the company's shouts as the sound of pounding dwarf boots sounded through the tunnel ahead.

He saw the shadowy form of Gandalf pause just on the other side of the rock from Gollum, and the company began to pass him quickly. He raised his hand to call out, but shut his mouth in frustration.

_If I call out, Gollum will hear me, _the hobbit realized with dismay. _At least I have found them again. Though I am still not sure I wish to join them just yet. But anything to get out of this confounded mountain!_

He counted the shadowy dwarves as they passed, pausing as he saw what seemed to be Thorin carrying an unconscious blond dwarf.

_Fili?_ Bilbo's eyes widened in realization. _He must have gotten hurt. _

The hobbit's brow furrowed even further as he came up two short. Seeing the wizard go and follow after them, he waited for a few seconds, watching for the last two of their company to make an appearance. When they didn't, the hobbit began to worry.

_Where are Kili and Cirashala? _

XXX

Kili swallowed heavily, hearing Cirashala's muffled groans. He trembled as he thought of what he must do, but knew there was no way around it.

"Cirashala?" he asked, glancing in her direction. The young woman opened her eyes slightly, noticing despite her pain that Kili's eyes refused to meet hers. The young dwarf sighed heavily, closing his eyes for a moment and swallowing before looking at her, brown orbs hesitant and fearful.

"I-I need to..." he trailed off, fisting a hand in his tunic as his eyes left hers, gulping. "I…..Ineedtocleanyourwounds." Cirashala's brow furrowed, barely making out the rushed words.

"Wh-what?" she asked, confusion in her whispered voice. Kili was visibly trembling, and his voice echoed his hesitation. He sighed, staring at his lap.

"I need….to clean your wounds," he said more slowly, cheeks and ears turning crimson. "I-it's just….you….I….I am not a healer, though I do know a little bit, but….I….they _need_ to be cleaned and bandaged, otherwise they will get infected, and…" he trailed off, unable to look at her.

Her eyes closed, processing his words as her burning pain emitted from her wounded back.

_They need to be cleaned and bandaged, otherwise they will get infected. _

She knew that. She had seen the murky, filthy water. She had seen how dirty and filthy Goblintown was. She had no idea whether they cleaned their torture instruments after their last victim, or even if they had ever been cleaned at all. The only question in her mind was…

"B-but we….we don't….have any….bandages," she gasped out, her teeth still gritted. Kili swallowed, looking away.

"Y-yes we do," he said so quietly she almost didn't hear him. Her brow furrowed in confusion.

"W-where?" she asked. The young dwarf flushed even deeper as he ducked his head, his crimson face partially concealed by his still damp locks.

"Your tunic," he whispered. "W-we can c-cut it up, and—" He never finished his sentence, her horrified gasp sounding quite loud through the tiny glade.

"N-no!" she cried, clutching the fabric to herself. Kili let out a frustrated sigh.

"If there were any other way, I would do it in an instant," he said defensively, looking at her. Fear and hesitation swirled in the dark orbs. "But all we have are the clothes on our backs, and my knife." She shivered, her eyes closing as tears threatened to spill.

_No!_ she screamed internally. _He-he will see me, and I….no!_

She heard Kili sigh, and cracked her eyes open. The young dwarf had turned his face away from her, staring into the fire. His shoulders were slumped in defeat, and she could see him visibly trembling, with a troubled look on his downcast face. He swallowed heavily, before looking up at her, his eyes misty.

"We have no bandages, no food, no supplies," he whispered, and she could hear the barely disguised tremor in his voice. "We have _nothing_ but what we wear, and my knife." He sighed, looking at his lap for a moment, before looking at her.

"Your wounds _have_ to be taken care of," he said, his eyes dead serious. "Goblin whips…they are _not _clean, and neither was that water. Who knows what diseases are in it? There were _dead_ _goblins_ in it, for Durin's sake!" He sighed, before getting up and grabbing his knife.

He knelt down in front of her, pressing the hilt of it into her hand as he had done earlier. He looked at it, visibly shaking, before looking her in the eye.

"I will give you my tunic after I am done, so you are decent. If you think I am violating you at _any _point during the time I tend your wounds, you take my knife," he paused, glancing fearfully at the weapon, then back at her. She could see the terrified expression on his face in the firelight.

"And you kill me," he finished, swallowing heavily. Her eyes widened.

"Y-you are s-stronger than me," she whispered, shivering. "I c-cannot fight y-you." He locked eyes with her, and she could see absolutely no hesitation in his words as he spoke.

"I, Kili son of Dis, give you my word, as a Prince of the line of Durin-If you move to kill me because you believe me to be violating you, I will NOT fight you."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXX**

**A response to guest reviewer Ri-chan- I am not quite sure I understand your review very well…do you mean when Kili realized that he had received mouth to mouth resuscitation? He was just waking from passing out himself, and still a bit dazed and confused from the knock to his own head. He did run through the prior events first, before realizing the resuscitation. As to what was crossing through his mind, I hope that either this chapter (which I am at the moment still working on) or next chapter will answer that question :) I am glad you find yourself immersed in my story-I remember that I would get so immersed in books I liked when it was reading time in class back when I was in grade school that I would jump nearly out of my seat when the school bell rang-I was so startled! It's nice to hear that my story does that for my readers :D **

**Thanks to all who review, favorite, and follow- seriously, you guys never cease to amaze me :D :D :D**


	52. Chapter 52

_**I do not own any of the characters or the Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC) those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reull Tolkien, and without his genius,this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.**_

_**Please review! I love getting them-they keep me encouraged J**_

Bilbo looked at the shadowy creature before him, before drawing his sword silently. He stepped up behind Gollum and held the sword at the creature's throat. He drew it back to the left, fully intending to swipe the creature's head clean off.

Then something happened that the hobbit did not expect- Gollum turned and looked back into the corridor. The creature's large blue eyes looked deep into his, though the creature did not see him. Bilbo again held up the sword right under Gollum's chin, but something stayed his hand.

Bilbo looked deep into the forlorn creature's eyes, seeing the shadow of what once was. This creature once had a name, a home. It might have even been a hobbit once-Bilbo was sure of it. The large feet and the short stature and his shriveled, pointed ears seemed to indicate as such.

He wondered if the former hobbit had had a family, maybe children even? What had come to pass that the angry, bitter creature became a half starved, shriveled hermit hiding in the deeps of the Misty Mountains? He had seemed to love riddles, at least the nice Gollum did. He was not a stupid creature, and the nice, childish and eager to please side of him seemed hungry, nay, _starving_ for companionship.

He thought about his nice, cozy hobbit hole far away in the Shire. Did this creature once have a place he called home? A hobbit hole, or perhaps a free standing structure, as was the case with some hobbits near the borders of the Shire? Did he live near water, like the Stoors of old on the banks of the Anduin? The creature seemed to be adept with water, as Bilbo had seen it on an island in the middle of the underground lake when he had first entered the cavern.

But the one question that seemed to freeze in the hobbit's mind was- why did this creature care about the ring that granted invisibility so much?

He could see the echo of loss in Gollum's eyes. A tear slowly trickled down the weathered old face, and the pitiful creature swallowed heavily, clearly hurting inside. A slight whimper emitted from the slumped form, the sound coming across quite clear even in the strange, shadowed world of invisibility.

Gandalf's words of wisdom suddenly rang through the terrified hobbit's mind.

_True courage is about knowing not when to take a life, but when to spare one. _

Bilbo silently sighed, and lowered his sword. Pity filled the lost hobbit's gaze as he stared at the wretched creature before him.

A shadow of what once was good.

XXX

Cirashala looked deep into the dark brown eyes, and saw utter sincerity and seriousness. She thought back to that first moment in the cave two weeks ago, when Kili had first discovered her and could have killed her, yet he didn't.

He had had every right to kill her then. Despite the fact that he held the obviously superior weapon, the fact was _she_ had attacked_ him_. Though her weapon was merely a branch, it was still being used with the intent to inflict harm, making it a weapon by default. She had been armed, and he could have killed her without dishonor, but rather in self defense.

Yet not only did he not kill her, but offered to help her. She remembered him and his brother aiding her in the warg chase, making sure she wasn't left behind-even if her memory was a bit frayed at that point due to hunger and grief. She remembered what she now knew to have been him putting pressure on her wounds after the warg had bitten her, though that memory was vague as well.

She remembered how Bilbo had told her one night that it had been Kili who had chosen to lay aside his prejudice for the elves in favor of seeking the healing she needed, and had gone alone with the elves he despised in order to save her life, as per his blood debt.

She remembered Kili having come running into her room after she had fallen, and though she had ended up being the one helping him instead, the intent to aid her had been clear. She remembered him pulling her out of the stream near Rivendell after she had slipped on the bank trying to pull out that confounded arrow, and how he had defended her to his uncle.

She remembered how both he and Fili had been protective of her on their march, aiding her with the waterskin, waiting for her when she lagged behind, how Kili had offered to forego his pipe because it made her uncomfortable, and how the two of them had kept her warm in the freezing temperatures on top of the mountains.

She remembered how Kili had gone out into the blizzard to bring her back in, and had held her as the company had tried to restore warmth to both of them. She remembered how he and Fili had refused to allow her to defend them from the orc attack, and how he had gone out into the meadow during the thunderstorm to rescue her from the three vile creatures after she had wandered off in embarrassment.

She remembered how he had fought to try and keep her from getting beaten in Ori's place in Goblintown, and how he had tried to keep her gender secret from the goblins.

And finally, she remembered how he had protected her when they fell, taking the hits on the rock with his own body and keeping her above water when she had been utterly terrified of the darkness within it.

She looked into the deep brown eyes, and reached the knife out to the confused young dwarf, hilt first.

"No," she whispered, fighting to keep from gritting her teeth so her sincerity would be recognized for what it was. "You can tend my wounds. I do not think you will violate me." Kili looked at the knife, then back at her, uncertainty in his gaze.

"A-are you sure?" he whispered, his voice hesitant, dark eyes searching her face. It was quite evident in his tone that he did not wish to force her to allow him to tend her wounds. She nodded, biting back her pain as best she could, before locking eyes with his.

"I trust you," she whispered.

XXX

Bilbo took a deep breath, before backing up slowly. He sheathed his sword, bracing himself. Even in the shadow world, as he began to call the grey distortion that occurred when he wore the ring, he could see the daylight shining through the tunnel the company had gone through.

The hobbit's foot bumped a tiny stone on the tunnel floor, but Gollum's ears were keen as well, and his expression turned from utter despair to exceedingly angry. The creature's eyes flashed as his mouth curled into a snarl. He coiled to spring at where he now knew the hobbit was, and Bilbo realized that he had been discovered, and it was now or never.

The hobbit ran as hard as he could toward the furious creature, before jumping up and over him, using the boulder beside him for leverage. Bilbo's hairy foot smacked Gollum in the face, knocking the wiry creature over.

The second the hobbit's feet hit solid stone, he ran for his life.

"NO!" Gollum cried, spinning around in a circle on the stone floor in a frenzy. "Thief! Baggins!" He darted towards the inside of the mountain slightly, before turning and looking toward the sunlight, squinting. He looked back, sheer hate in the large blue orbs.

"Curse it and crush it! We hates it forever!" the creature growled, and vowed that if he ever came across Bagginses again, he would strangle the life out of the hobbit.

No one took his precious away from him. No one.

XXX

The company kept running down the mountainside as the sun sank toward the west. The pines on the mountainside shone in golds and reds, but their minds were not on the scenery surrounding them.

Their minds were on the goblins amassed behind them, and their hearts were heavy with grief at the loss of the two youngest members of their company. For, though the hobbit was in years younger than Kili, he was older in physical maturity due to hobbits aging more quickly than dwarves, and could hardly be counted a lad.

They continued running, wishing to get as much distance between them and the goblin tunnels as they could before nightfall. Their injuries were slight, the warriors of the group having sustained far worse in their battles, but come morning they would be feeling them keenly.

Thorin was most worried about Fili. The lad had yet to wake, and Thorin honestly wasn't sure the lad wished to wake at _all_. He had bumped his head in the fall, but Thorin knew that, with Kili gone, Fili could easily perish from grief alone. Unfortunately, having seen his sister nearly succumb to grief over the death of her husband, and Thrain going mad with grief and end up missing, Thorin knew that there was a possibility that Fili could succumb as well.

Thorin had been too preoccupied with his own grief and memories of the battle of Azanulbizar that he hadn't noticed his sister's descent into grief as well as he should have until it was almost too late. He looked at the pale face of his eldest nephew in his arms, and vowed that he would not let it happen again. He _would _be there for Fili as his nephew grieved for the brother he had been so close to, or else die trying.

For he also knew the heart shattering pain of losing a younger brother, and didn't wish such overwhelming grief on anyone.

XXX

Kili looked at the young woman, wide eyed. He glanced down at the knife in his hand, then back at her, eyes searching her face.

"Y-you trust me?" he whispered, and she nodded, her jaw clenching as her face twisted in pain. Her eyes scrunched shut, and her breaths came quickly as she fought the pain.

"Y-yes," she gasped, before a whimper escaped her. She looked up at him, blue eyes filled with pain. "D-do what you must, b-but, please….don't look." He looked away from her, flushing a deep red, before looking down at her and nodding.

"I won't look, I swear," he replied, before looking around. The spring appeared to be the head of a tiny stream that bubbled away toward the north, before curving east a few yards past it's source. But what the archer noticed was that at the base of the waterfall was a few rocks that had been eroded by the water for many decades. On the top of the large, polished stones was one with a decent hollow on the top, and though he would have to refill it frequently, it would make do as a bowl.

He picked it up and filled it with water, before returning to the fire. He placed the rock right on the edge of the fire so that half the rock was in the fire itself, in order to allow the water to warm quickly. Turning toward Cirashala, he crouched down, looking at her.

"I need you to sit up," he said quietly, reaching for her shoulder. He slid his hand underneath it, and with a strangled cry from her, he helped her sit up. He placed both his hands on her shoulders to steady her as she nearly slumped back, face paling.

"Are you all right?" he asked her, searching her face. She nodded.

"J-just a bit….dizzy," she replied, taking a few slow breaths. Kili waited til a little color returned to her cheeks, then spoke.

"Face away from me with your back to the fire," he instructed gently, aiding her in turning around.

It was a slow process, as twisting tugged on her lashes and knife wounds, and blood began to seep through the slight cracks in the forming scabs, trailing down her back. She cried out in pain with every twist, but Kili could tell she was attempting to stifle them as best she could.

By the time she had her back to the fire, sweat was on her brow and she was panting and gasping in pain. Kili looked down at the discarded pain tea herbs, the twisted mass sodden from its trip in the mountain tributary, wishing he knew just what herbs it had contained. But they were unrecognizable, and he sighed in frustration.

_I wish we had something for the pain, _he thought to himself. _No matter how gentle I try to be, this is REALLY going to hurt. _

The water was warm by the time she had gotten turned around, and Kili reached for the knots on her tunic that Thorin had tied, hesitating. His hands shook with nervousness, and the young dwarf couldn't decide whether his heart was in his throat or his stomach.

"A-are you sure about this?" he asked quietly behind her, and she could hear the nervousness in his tone. "If you wish it, I will stop. I….I do not want to force you." She looked down for a moment, before shaking her head.

"They n-need….to be cleaned," she whispered, shivering as she hugged herself tightly, her own eyes scrunched shut as she tried to focus on _anything _besides the burning pain and her own fear. "T-that water….it was awful. P-please…I….I'm s-sure." Kili nodded, taking a deep breath.

"A-all right," he whispered, his shaking hands moving to untie the first knot.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXX**

**READERS: My apologies for this being a shorter than usual chapter, but it is getting quite late, and I am getting tired. My husband had to close the store tonight, and so I had to put two sick little ones to bed by myself….and I need to go to bed too. I hope you like it anyway :D**

**A response to guest reviewer Guest- I am glad you are liking it! I hope the first 3 chapters weren't too shabby- this was only my 3****rd**** fic (the other two still WIPs) and I found out quickly I cannot focus on more than one story at a time, so the other two are sidelined til I am done with this one (if I don't start writing my own novel very loosely based on my FF, which I am seriously considering). I was still getting back into the writing "mode" and I am sure I was rusty. Yes, the company is having a tough time of it, and I don't know if it's because I do not wish to be nice to my characters or what, but this IS a dangerous journey-something they began to forget during that 'quiet' time pre-goblintown. As far as completion-well, I am sorry that I will not be completing it anytime soon. I enjoy books I can sink my teeth into, and since it's not like this is truly going to be published, I don't have to worry about too much word count ;P I wish to be quite descriptive, and I know it can make things quite long. Plus, I do not wish to have too long of a hiatus for my readers as I reach the end of AUJ (though hopefully my subplot that lasts for 3 weeks story time will help close that gap) because I wish to utilize the storylines/visuals from the upcoming Desolation of Smaug to aid in my descriptions of settings/characters/events, etc. I do not believe I will need to wait for TABA in order to finish my fic by that point, because they will already have reached Erebor in DOS, and that covers all the ground between here and there, and introduced most if not all the main characters, from what I can tell :) So, sorry it won't be finished anytime soon, but hopefully that means that you will just get to enjoy it for longer ;p**

**Thanks to all who review, favorite, and follow- without you, I get very discouraged :D :D :D**


	53. Chapter 53

_**I do not own any of the characters or the Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC) those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reull Tolkien, and without his genius,this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.**_

_**Please review! I love getting them-they keep me encouraged J**_

The first knot came undone easily, and Kili's hands moved up to the knot at the base of her neck. Within seconds he had it untied as well, and he slowly pushed it off her shoulders. His eyes widened, and Cirashala heard the sharp intake of breath.

"Mahalu me-turg," Kili breathed, staring at the nearly healed scars from her warg bite. She felt him reach out and trace the marks the warg's sharp teeth had made with trembling fingers. "C-Cirashala…"

Regret and dismay was clear in his tone. Her eyes widened in realization that this was the first time Kili had actually _seen_ the bite, and she swallowed nervously, feeling uncomfortable at her body being under the young dwarf's scrutiny.

"K-Kili?" she whispered hesitantly, trembling. She felt his fingers immediately leave her back, and heard the young dwarf's breaths quicken.

"I-I'm sorry," he stammered quickly, face reddening in embarrassment. "I-It's just….by my beard, I-I didn't realize it was so….so large…I…" She sighed as he trailed off, biting back a wince as the movement tugged on her wounds.

"I-it's nothing," she whispered, teeth gripped together in pain as she stumbled over the words. "It's o-only a s-scar…and i-it's nearly…. healed….anyway." Kili sighed behind her, his shoulders slumping, knowing the large scars were his fault. She shivered as a slight breeze picked up, gripping herself tighter as it stung her fresh wounds, a low whimper escaping her throat. Kili's eyes moved away from the scar and back to the fresh, seeping wounds, eyeing them with concern.

"I-I need you….to take your tunic off," he whispered, swallowing nervously. She hesitated, before slowly taking her arms away from where she had been holding herself tightly, allowing the tunic to slide down them.

XXX

Her entire body trembled with fear, and she felt incredibly vulnerable and exposed. She wanted nothing more than to pull the tunic back up, but the logical part of her brain kept reminding her that she needed her wounds cleaned, and she could not reach her back herself to do so. She highly doubted she would even be able to lift her arms up, considering that, in order to do so, she would have to pull on her painful wounds.

Kili could almost feel the tension and fear radiating off her, and his brow furrowed in concern.

_She said she trusted me, _he thought to himself in confusion. _But she seems to be terrified. _

She finally got the tunic off, and slid it off her lap. The torn and bloodied grey fabric landed in a heap next to her, followed by her leather corset, her wounds not allowing her to hand it to the young dwarf behind her. Kili swallowed, before reaching over to pick them up, careful to avert his eyes.

Cirashala brought her arms back up, covering her front as best as she could under the circumstances. She heard Kili begin to cut the fabric into strips, each rip reminding her of the sound of the goblins ripping her tunic apart in the first place. She shut her eyes tightly in an attempt to forget the harrowing experience, but the images still flooded her mind.

Kili heard her nearly inaudible whimper, then a quiet sniffle. He looked up from his task, seeing her shoulders shaking slightly as her head was bowed. He closed his eyes, swallowing as he looked down.

The young dwarf felt horrible over having to put her through this. He could only imagine the humiliation she felt at being so exposed. He had felt much the same way when Bordin had bullied him and nearly dropped his trousers down in front of the other dwarflings. But they didn't have any choice.

His hand stilled, and he eyed his tunic. He had planned on giving it to her afterward regardless, because he at least had his long, grey underwear on underneath. While it would be incredibly embarrassing to wear nothing but a jerkin and fur coat over his long underwear and trousers, it was far better than her not having anything at all to cover herself with. He had taken one glance at her corset, and knew that it could not be repaired. The goblins had seen to that when they cut it.

He set the knife down, and pulled the tunic and jerkin out of his belt. Removing the leather jerkin as he breathed slow, steady breaths, he untied the laces on his tunic and tried pulled it over his head, barely biting back the nearly overwhelming pain at the movement. His breaths came more quickly, and he forced himself to take deep, slow breaths to keep from hyperventilating. His deep breaths were cut short, however, by a sharp pain emitting from his ribs, and he made a strangled, low noise in his throat as he clutched at his torso, eyes tightly shut with pain.

Slowly lowering his other arm from where they had partially been lifted, he began to undo the laces entirely, knowing that, with his own injuries, he wouldn't be able to pull it over his head. If he were honest with himself, he was injured far worse than he would like to admit.

_I-I must have a few cracked ribs, _the young dwarf thought to himself as the throbbing in his torso continued. He had absolutely no doubts that he was badly bruised, but if he had cracked ribs, that presented a rather big problem. He knew that he would not be able to carry her without risking them cracking further, but as he glanced at the young woman's scarred back, he dismissed the concern.

_She needs help far more than I do, _he thought, swallowing as he resumed his task, setting the tunic aside as it slipped off his own arms. _I-I will be fine. I think…_

XXX

Kili heard a slight gasp behind him, and turned to see wide, terrified eyes looking at him over her shoulder.

"W-what are y-you doing?" she cried, visibly trembling as her eyes stared at his partially undressed form. Tears welled up in her eyes and began to run down her face, the blue orbs wide with panic. "I-I _trusted_ you!" The young dwarf froze with a gasp, his eyes widening in panic as well.

"I am giving you my tunic to cover yourself with," he said quickly, his body trembling as his breaths came in rapid succession. He quickly averted his eyes. His voice cracked slightly, revealing the fright he felt at her misinterpretation. "I-I'm not….I swear, by Durin I….I wasn't going to…."

He heard her breaths slow, even as his heart hammered in his chest. His eyes shut tightly, awaiting the feeling of cold steel slicing through his back.

"Y-you're giving me your t-tunic?" she whispered, voice confused and slightly calmer. Kili's eyes slowly opened, though he did not look her way, and nodded rapidly.

"Y-yes," he said, voice trembling in fear. "I told you I was. I swear, that's all I was going to do." He was frozen in place, barely daring to breathe as silence descended upon the tiny clearing. Cirashala broke the silence after a few minutes.

"I-I'm sorry," she whispered apologetically. "I-I thought…" She trailed off, and Kili heard her take a deep breath.

"It frightened me, b-but I shouldn't have….. I-I'm sorry. P-please forgive me," she whispered, voice laced with regret. Kili looked at his hands in his lap, the teal fabric fisted in his white knuckles.

_You fool! How could you forget? _He thought silently, angry with himself. _She was attacked by bandits before you found her. You should have known this would frighten her._

"I am sorry," he said quietly. "I did not mean to frighten you." He picked up the tunic, before lowering himself directly behind her and reaching it out to her, eyes averted. "Cover yourself up."

XXX

Cirashala took the tunic gratefully, bringing it up to cover her front and sides. It was still quite damp, but the fire had begun to dry and warm it as Kili had prepared their bandages.

She clutched the fabric to herself, making sure to leave enough at the top to help muffle her cries once Kili was ready to start his task. She felt more than a little embarrassed at her misunderstanding, realizing that the young dwarf was simply trying to preserve her modesty as best he could under the circumstances. He had no idea just _how_ difficult it had been for her to trust him.

She hadn't had good experiences in the past when it came to young men. She had been very naïve and sheltered, and longed desperately for someone to truly love her, receiving more criticism, mocking, abuse and harshness at home than love growing up. Those few that she had allowed to get close to her had taken advantage of her easily given trust and her desire to be accepted-to be loved.

She had had her heart broken by those who did not value her for who she was, but rather how she, or more accurately, her _body_, could satisfy them. She had been coerced into things she did not wish, but had stubbornly held onto the one thing she could-her virtue. That had cost her two young beaus, whose true evil colors had shown themselves when the pressure to do unwanted things had begun.

She had then vowed that she would never fall prey to such evil natures ever again, and when she met her future husband, he was the only man to ever truly respect her. He loved her for _who _she was, not what her body could give him. He decided of his own volition to not even _kiss_ her until their wedding vows were spoken, knowing her prior experiences, and had honored that promise.

When she had given Kili her trust, she had seen the same honor in his words and actions that her husband had shown from the first time they had met. It didn't help that he looked strikingly similar to her husband, though not identical. His eyes were the same, though, and the same respect shone from them. She had felt that Kili would truly keep his word, and his actions of the past two weeks had seemed to confirm his honorable and good heart.

But when she had seen him unexpectedly undressing, she had panicked. The thought of him being too injured to do anything of a vile nature had not even entered her thinking.

_He is just like the others, _she had thought to herself, her mind frantic with fear. _A-and we are alone….and no one else is near….there is no one to stop him. _

But when the young dwarf had revealed his honorable intentions, and had genuinely feared _her_ reaction, she realized her mistake.

As the young dwarf finished washing her filthy strips of tunic in the creek stemming from the spring (so as to not contaminate their only source of clean water) before laying them out to dry, and crouched down behind her with the improvised cleansing rag, she took a deep breath, willing her body to relax.

_He is not going to harm you, _she kept saying to herself, as she felt the warm rag press against her wounds. _He is your friend. You are safe. You are safe._

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**A response to guest reviewer Ari- I am glad you liked it :) I will likely update today. Back hurts after a nasty night-didn't fall asleep til 6 am because of it-seriously, and had to be up at 9. So I will be resting and writing today-my little ones are refusing to let me nap, so I hope this chapter was still good regardless….despite be being so tired today. **

**Thanks to all who review, favorite, and follow- you guys are the best! :D :D :D**


	54. Chapter 54

_**I do not own any of the characters or the Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC) those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reull Tolkien, and without his genius,this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.**_

_**Please review! I love getting them-they keep me encouraged J**_

Kili could feel how tense she was the second the rag gently pressed up against her wounds with a hiss, and he sighed, eyes downcast.

"I-I'm sorry," he whispered. "This is….I am going to be as gentle as I can, but this….is going to hurt."

His own scrapes stung on his hands from having been cleansed in the cold creek while he was washing the makeshift bandages. He glanced over at them, draped on a rock next to the fire, hoping they would be dry by the time he needed them.

"I-I know," she said quietly, a muffled cry emitting from her immediately after as she pressed her face into the bunch of fabric in front of her. Her shoulders trembled, and her body instinctively flinched away from the intrusion. Nausea threatened, but she knew that it would only end up being acid again, her stomach entirely empty by this point, and fought it as best as she could. Her eyes were tightly scrunched against the pain.

Kili moved the rag slowly, removing the already scabbed over parts of the swollen and jagged cuts to allow the filth to wash away. She flinched again as a wave of dizziness threatened to overcome her, gasping as her breaths came quickly.

"Cirashala?" Kili asked, voice filled with concern as his hand stilled, noticing her waver. "A-are you….going to be sick?" She swallowed several times in rapid succession.

"J-just…dizz—" she was cut off as her whole body tilted toward the side, her head suddenly feeling very heavy as the world began to spin. The young dwarf caught her arm, supporting her. Blood rushed through her ears, making her nearly lose the battle against nausea.

Kili looked at her, his brow furrowed with concern even as the motion of reaching out put pressure on his sore ribcage.

"M-maybe you should lie down," he suggested softly, and she shook her head.

"Y-you won't be….able to…..wrap b-bandages around," she gasped, taking deep breaths. "I-I'm all right."

Kili looked at her for a moment, nodding. He slowly sat her up, before switching hands so his left lightly gripped her left arm to support her. He resumed the cleaning with his right, continuing to peel off the new scabs gently but quickly.

The young dwarf could see that she was succumbing to exhaustion and dehydration, and glanced toward the bandages, noting with relief that they seemed to be mostly dry. He had to change the water several times, noting that she wavered more and more each time he left her.

He finally finished cleaning the wounds, noting that they seemed to look much better once the grime and filth was off them, though they still looked angry and painful. Reaching for the strips of cloth, he tied the ends of the first two together, before bringing it up to wind it around. He held the end with his left, pulling it to the right, before hesitating.

"C-Cirashala?" he said, voice trembling with nervousness as his face flushed a deep crimson. "C-could you maybe….wind it around your….a-around the front? I….I don't want to accidentally…." The mortified young dwarf couldn't even finish the last sentence, positive his glowing face could be seen for miles.

Fortunately, Cirashala understood what he meant, and was internally grateful. _She _most definitely did not want any "accidents" either, and though it pained her, she reached her left arm around to grasp the end of the bandage. She pulled it around her, feeling Kili take the end once it was visible on her left.

The process was repeated several times, Kili making sure to overlap the bandages so that they were thicker, and pulling it taut to put pressure on the wounds. He was careful to keep a close eye on her ribs, and adjusted the bandage accordingly to not restrict movement and allow her to breathe. Once he reached the end of a strand, he tied another on, until he finally had wrapped her entire torso.

XXX

Kili tied off the end of the bandage, having enough strips to wrap around her, while still leaving a few extra bandages for future use. He slowly lowered his arm, and sat back.

"Finished," he whispered, breathing a small sigh of relief. "I-I'm no healer, but hopefully it will make do."

She nodded, reaching for the blue tunic. Kili turned his back to allow her at least _some _privacy, moving to check his coat and see if it was dry as he slowly lowered himself down by the fire. His own clothes felt clammy against his skin, and smelled horrid. He desperately wished he could wash them, but he didn't dare-not with her nearby, and they didn't have any soap anyway.

His scrapes stung, and he wished they had some sort of salve to put on them. He wished they had a lot of things, like food, supplies, proper healing medicines and bandages, and spare clothing. He would even be content with the rose scented elvish soap at this point. He also desperately wished that he knew where they were, and where the company was.

But most of all, he wondered whether his brother even knew if he was alive.

XXX

The company finally stopped when they reached level ground. They were still some ways up the mountain, but the forest was quiet around them.

Thorin set Fili down on the ground gently, looking down at him with deep concern. Gandalf was doing a headcount as the dwarves caught up. Bombur came in last as usual, huffing like a freight train with tears of grief coursing down his cheeks.

"And Bombur, that makes twelve," Gandalf muttered, the wizard keenly feeling the loss of the young ones as well. His brow furrowed as he realized they were still one short. "Where's Bilbo? Where is our hobbit?"

"Curses! Now we've lost him too! I thought he was with Dori!" Dwalin growled. Dori glared back.

"Don't blame me!" the white haired dwarf spat back, even as he held a teary eyed Ori's arm in a death grip, as though he was afraid of losing his younger brother too. Gandalf looked sternly at the protective dwarf.

"Where did you last see him?" Gandalf asked shortly. Dori's expression turned confused, even as he rubbed a sniffling Ori's shoulders, the younger trying in vain to keep his tears of grief at bay.

The wizard sighed in frustration. His temper was quite short at this point, and not for the first time did he question Aulë's wisdom in creating dwarves in the first place. He was grieved too-centuries of seeing death hadn't made it any easier, but now was not the time. They needed to find their burglar.

Thorin looked up at the wizard darkly as he cradled his still unconscious nephew's head, and his dark look was shared by several other members of the company.

"I will tell you where he is. He is long gone, and Mahal curse the hair on his feet!" Thorin growled. "All that selfish hobbit has done is whine and complain about not having his seven meals a day, soft bed and thrice cursed garden! Where is he? Where was he when my nephew was killed? When Fili lost his younger brother?"

Gandalf glared at Thorin, neither realizing that an invisible Bilbo was hiding just behind the tree nearest the company, hearing the whole thing with wide, shocked eyes and a sinking heart.

_Kili? Kili is dead? _The hobbit thought, his throat catching as tears welled in his eyes. _H-how?_

The wizard glared at the furious and grieving dwarf king.

"Where were any of _you_ when the girl was tortured?" he asked, causing Bilbo's face to go white.

_T-tortured? _He thought, cursing himself for having gotten knocked down before he was able to catch up to the dwarves. _No…_

Gandalf looked around at the group of dwarves, glaring at each in turn, even as some of them were leaning up against each other due to their injuries. Balin spoke up, voice thick with grief even as his own eyes were misty.

"Young Kili was the only one who was able to break past the goblins to try and stop them, but he didn't make it very far before the goblins grabbed him too," Balin stated, eyes damp. "We all tried to hide her, but when the great goblin threatened to torture the lad, she spoke up, stating that _she _was the youngest, and we couldn't hide her after that."

"A-aye," Bofur added, holding his hat tightly in his hands. "The goblins were on her too fast. I haven't the faintest idea _what _language it was she spoke to him besides Westron and Khuzdul, but she insulted him greatly, at least from what I understood of it."

Gandalf looked around at the remaining members of the company, expression softening just slightly as he bore witness to their grief and his anger began to dissipate.

Bofur placed his hand on his brother's shoulder even as the rotund dwarf wiped his eyes. Nori and Dori both refused to let a sniffling Ori out of their sight. Gloin looked guilty, and kept glaring at the mountain behind them, fingering his axe. Dwalin was right there with him, hand gripping his axe so hard his knuckles were white, staring with hatred at the mountain that claimed the life of his prince.

And Balin and Thorin were knelt down beside the unconscious Fili, whose face still bore traces of tears that led down his dirty face into his just growing beard. The wizard sighed, kneeling down beside the three.

He could not save the life of the one who had already been called home, but he could at least try to revive the one who was left behind. The question in his mind was….should he?

XXX

The night was fully dark now, and the only light in the sheltered spot came from their fire and the little bit of moonlight that streamed through the thick pines above them. The white sphere reflected in the clear pool in front of him, as did the stars surrounding it. He looked up at the sky, seeing the sickle of the Valar to the north, the last couple stars from it being hidden among the pine boughs.

Kili's stomach growled, but there was nothing that could be done about it. He slowly began to feel the effects of adrenaline wearing off. Gritting his teeth against the pain that radiated from his injured body, he picked up his knife and glanced around for a rough edged stone. Spotting one after a moment, he picked it up and began to sharpen the blade as best he could. He knew that was the only weapon they had, and he must make sure it was sharp.

He coughed suddenly, a very watery cough, before spitting out a small amount of filthy river water. Making a face at the vile taste of it, he rubbed his mouth with the back of his hand, before scooting closer to the mountain spring. Dipping his cupped hand into the water, he brought it up to his mouth, swishing out the vile taste before spitting it out into the bush.

He had put his jerkin back on, and made sure to pull it over his long underwear as best he could, though he could not tie it together in the front. Despite the embarrassment at not having a tunic at all, he was at least grateful that the long underwear covered just as much of his body as his tunic had.

He heard her shuffling and whimpering behind him as she struggled to get the tunic on without tugging on her wounds, and was tempted to ask her if she needed help, but decided against it. She had held her own quite well in Goblin town, all things considered, and had shown a pride and strength he had never seen outright before. The young dwarf had a feeling her pride would not allow her to accept the offer of aid on such a simple task.

Thinking of Goblin town reminded the lad of the strange insults she had paid the great goblin. He had only understood about half of what she had said, and there was one particular phrase that he couldn't seem to figure out at all. By her tone, he guessed it to be an insult, but he was quite certain he had never heard such a word spoken before by anyone he had come across.

He heard the shuffling cease, and turned his head slightly over his shoulder to hear more clearly, still averting his eyes.

"A-are you…decent?" he asked, feeling his cheeks color again. If he never had to be in the presence of a female during healing or undressing of any kind again, the shy young dwarf would be forever grateful. He could not remember having _ever_ blushed this much in his life, nor could he recall his chest tugging in such a strange way before.

_Surely it has something to do with my cracked ribs,_ the young dwarf thought to himself. _That's the only thing I can think of. _

"Yes," she whispered, and Kili turned around. She tried to stand up, but as soon as she got to her feet she began to sway badly. The young dwarf was on his feet in an instant, face twisting in a grimace as he yanked on all his bruises. He caught her just as she began to collapse, and helped her over to the base of a large tree, sitting her down next to it much like he had earlier-with her side leaning against it.

"I-I'm sorry," she whispered, looking up at him with pain filled eyes. "I-I just….was dizzy….is all." She closed her eyes, swallowing, and Kili's eye caught the moonlight gleaming off the spring. He remembered what she had said back at that first stream crossing outside Rivendell-that Lord Elrond had told her to drink lots of water to help replenish the blood she lost.

He slowly lowered himself down, cupping his hands together as he scooped up some cool water. Standing up, he returned, squatting down in front of her with a wince.

"Drink," he commanded, holding his cupped hands under her mouth. "You've lost more blood. You need it." She opened her eyes halfway, glancing at his hands for a few seconds, then up at his eyes, hesitating.

"Drink," he repeated, his tone gentle. "Please." She closed her eyes for a moment, before opening them slightly and leaning forward. She drank the little bit of water his hands could hold, before leaning back up against the tree, quickly succumbing to her exhaustion.

He rose, adding more wood to the fire and retrieving his coat. She was already steadily breathing by the time he sat back down beside her, draping the now warm coat over their laps, for he knew that a starlit night meant a cold night. Her eyes opened as she felt the weight and warmth of the coat on her legs and lower abdomen, and she turned her sleepy gaze to the equally exhausted young dwarf.

"Kili," she mumbled, and he turned to look at her. Her eyes closed, and she took a deep breath, before meeting his gaze. "I-I know….I need to-to be brave and s-strong, but….I….I'm frightened."

Kili looked at her, then at the fire, not saying anything for a few minutes. Then, though he had to bite back a cry of pain, he slowly lifted his arm and brought it around the top of her shoulders above her wounds, pulling her towards him and using his hand to lay her head on his shoulder. He felt her stiffen slightly for a moment, and froze, but then she relaxed and curled into him, sharing the warmth, and he rested his hand loosely at her side. She closed her eyes, and heard the soothing sound of a heartbeat pulsing through a vein next to her ear. His reply was so quiet she almost wondered if she had dreamed it.

"I'm frightened too."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX **

**A response to guest reviewer Ri-chan- Yes, she did have bad experiences, and I know it can be cliché, but it really is very important in understanding why it is so difficult for her to trust others, and why it was significant that she was willing to trust him. And sadly, based on my own experiences (which hers are based off of) and the experiences of my husband's 4 adopted brothers and sisters, who were badly abused in their former homes, it might be cliché- but it really does happen, in fact it happens far too much, and I did not wish to turn a blind eye to abuse for the sake of avoiding "clichés". Yes, there is quite a lot of similarity between her and Kili, which is one of the reasons Fili gets along with her so well, and why she and Kili get along too. Yes, the journey will be long, but these things really do take time. No one falls in love in five minutes, and they won't in my story. Kili's past was more bullying, and Cira's past was both bullying and various kinds of abuse at home and from two ex-boyfriends. Thanks for reading and enjoying :) Have you thought about getting an account on here so you can formally review, and not just as a guest? **

**Many thanks to all who review, favorite, and follow- without you guys, I would just be a FF writer with a whole lot less memory on my computer! Seriously, you guys are awesome! :D :D :D**


	55. Chapter 55

_**I do not own any of the characters or the Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC) those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reull Tolkien, and without his genius,this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.**_

_**Please review! I love getting them-they keep me encouraged J**_

Gandalf knelt down beside the unconscious young dwarf. Sighing, he reached down and covered his eyes with his hand, and, in a low voice, began to utter a long forgotten language.

"_Lerya laman naiquentallo," _The wizard began, the words of ages past belonging to a world long forgotten. "_Sí a hlare ómaquettar. Na coilerya en-vinyanta."_

The language the wizard spoke was, of course, the language of Valinor from whence he had originally come. Only few in Middle-earth, such as Lord Elrond, were so well versed in the languages and spells of old, but Gandalf the Grey had wandered the lands of Middle-earth for many lives of men, and his memory was deep. He knew all the spells in all the tongues of elves, men, and orcs, though many of them had yet to be used in his travels, and he greatly hoped things would not come to pass to force him to use them any more than necessary.

Many viewed him as he wished to be viewed- a humble wizard. But his power was far greater than most of that in Middle-earth, though he was loathe to use it except in times of great need. But as he looked down at the lost and broken soul, he knew. The young dwarf would not wake on his own, not in his grief. And his heart told him that young Fili would be needed before the end.

The air around the company seemed to lighten as the wizard uttered his spell, and hearts that were heavy with grief felt a small measure of comfort, though they did not understand the words. The young heir lay motionless still as the wizard withdrew his hand, and they all watched with baited breath, daring to hope.

Within a few seconds, Fili's eyelids fluttered, before slowly blinking open. His expression was one of deep confusion, even as his friends and kin surrounding him breathed sighs of relief. The blue eyes settled on Thorin.

"U-uncle?" he whispered, barely heard in the still air. Thorin pulled him close with red rimmed eyes, and to the astonishment of all present, rubbed the golden hair back from his nephew's face and gently tucked it behind the young dwarf's ear.

"I'm here, lad," Thorin replied thickly, his gentle tone causing several jaws to drop as the kingly mask melted away before their eyes. "I'm here."

Fili closed his eyes, and leaned into his uncle's chest, hearing the familiar heartbeat, before looking around, his brow furrowing in confusion.

"Kee?" he asked, eyes darting around the group. When his younger brother did not answer, Fili's eyes began to move more quickly. "Kili? Where are you? Kili?!"

He stood up shakily, blond braids whipping around as he looked in all directions, finding no sign of his brother. He then looked at the company with an expression of panic, dread rising in his voice.

"Kili? Where is he?" he cried, noting how the members of the company refused to meet his eyes. He turned to his uncle, full panic in his gaze.

"Thorin," he said slowly, noting that his uncle in turn refused to look him in the eye. The young dwarf's voice was edged with steel as his eyes narrowed. "Where is my brother?"

Thorin glanced at the wizard, who shook his head sadly.

"Memory loss can sometimes happen with a blow to the head," Gandalf said quietly, and Fili's eyes widened.

"What happened?" he said, voice dangerous. No one of the company answered him, and the young dwarf's blue eyes turned a steel grey. "Someone answer me!"

"He-he's dead," a small voice whispered with a sniffle, and the dwarves turned with a gasp as a red eyed Bilbo revealed himself, eyes puffy and red as tears streamed down his cheeks. Fili's expression turned thunderous.

"How dare you!" he cried, lunging at the hobbit. Gandalf grabbed the young dwarf on one side just as Balin grabbed his other arm. Fili fought them, snarling at the terrified hobbit. "How _dare _you tell me that my brother is de…de…"

Flashes of memory suddenly assaulted the young dwarf, memories of his brother falling, of Cirashala screaming for help, of lunging after his uncle just as she slipped over the edge….Kili's cry mingling with the young woman's before….

The thunderous expression left Fili's face in an instant, and his face crumpled. Tears filled his eyes, and they scrunched shut as the wet drops slid down his face. The young dwarf fell to his knees, unable to speak as his body shook with heart wrenching sobs.

The dwarves looked at the young dwarf, then at the teary eyed Bilbo, their grieved expressions mingling with surprise at seeing the hobbit in relatively one piece. Bilbo's waistcoat was missing several buttons, he was filthy, and his hands bore fresh cuts and scrapes. Given that they had just escaped a goblin city filled with literally thousands of the miserable creatures, he looked quite well, all things considered.

There were many unanswered questions in the group's eyes, but they were never asked.

For just at that moment, a bone-chilling howl sounded above them, quickly being answered by many more, and several faces went white.

XXX

Kili startled awake, having drifted to sleep yet again. He yawned and glanced down at Cirashala, who was restlessly sleeping on his shoulder, her brow deeply furrowed as she whimpered slightly. The young dwarf sighed and brought his hand up to rub her head gently, something he had quickly figured out would relax her and allow her to drift back into deep, exhausted sleep.

He had tried in vain to stay awake, knowing that one of them must keep watch, especially with them both injured and so close to the mountain that the goblin city was in. But his exhaustion had overruled his desire to avoid sleep, and it had eventually claimed him.

But this sleep was not restful, for as soon as she began to whimper and squirm against his side, a sharp pain emitted from his ribs, causing him to startle awake with a barely stifled groan. He could tell by the pained expression on her face in her sleep that her injuries were to blame for the frequent whimpers and squirming, but he didn't know what else to do.

He had been correct in his assumption that this night would be quite cold, and, despite her body heat next to him and the warm coat over them, the young dwarf shivered. He knew that neither of them could afford to sleep away from the other's heat tonight, and loathe as he was to do so, the young dwarf gently moved his arm out from behind her and slipped out of the slight warmth of the coat.

He moved to put more wood on the dying fire, and rubbed his hands together over it for a few moments, before returning back to the makeshift bedroll. He glanced at her for a moment, before moving back under the coat. He slowly and gently began to move her downward, so that they were both laying on the ground on their sides as opposed to leaning up against the tree.

She began to whimper as he did so, and as soon as he had her lying down, her eyes opened halfway.

"Wh-wha?" she mumbled, her voice heavy with sleep. Kili grabbed the coat and pulled it up to her chin.

"Shh," he whispered. "Just trying to keep you warm. Go back to sleep." She closed her eyes, and within seconds her breathing became even again. Kili scooted closer to her and slowly slid his left arm under her head, tucking it under his chin as his right arm went around her, mindful of her wounds.

She nestled into his chest in her sleep, seeking warmth, her shoulders shivering as her fists tucked up in front of her. Kili lay with his left arm now curled under his head, staring off into the distance as he ignored that strange tugging sensation again. His cheeks flushed slightly and his breath hitched as he felt her curl into him, his heart beating just a little faster as he swallowed nervously.

_I am just trying to keep her warm, that's all, _he thought to himself, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly through his nose_. It is far too cold out here for us right now. _

But that uneasy tugging persisted, and Kili was beginning to become quite confused by it. But the warmth of the fire began once again to warm the two, and his eyelids grew heavy.

Before the young dwarf knew what was happening, he fell into an exhausted slumber alongside the young woman, both oblivious to the happenings merely a league north of where they were.

XXX

The company looked up, eyes widening as the howls grew closer.

"Out of the frying pan," Thorin muttered, looking at his nephew worriedly.

"And into the fire," Gandalf finished the old adage. "Run." He looked at the tired company, who were still looking toward the top of the mountain with wide eyes. "Run!"

The dwarves and hobbit once again began to run down the mountain, Thorin and Dwalin dragging Fili along with them. The young dwarf had ceased his cries, and became strangely silent, even as the two elder dwarves looked at him with worry. He ran along with them, but he did not seem to be very interested in doing so. It was as though a wall had built up around him, his tear streaked face devoid of all emotion.

They kept running, hearing the pounding of warg feet coming closer at an alarming pace. The growls soon reached their ears, even as the sun dipped below the top of the mountain, bathing all to the east in the shadows of night.

The wargs chased down their prey, mouths watering at the thought of the soon to be meal. Bilbo glanced back, face draining of blood as the glowing green eyes of the beasts grew larger with each heartbeat. He turned and ran as fast as his hobbit legs could carry him, jumping over the small rocks and tree roots that littered the way without a second thought.

Just as the hobbit passed in front of a large rock, he heard the scraping of claws against stone. With a grunt, the hobbit instinctively ducked, throwing his arms over his head as a warg sailed over it. The great beast landed on the ground in front of him, sliding to a stop.

Spotting his prey, the snarling beast charged Bilbo. The terrified hobbit grappled with his sword, managing to draw it just in time for the mangy beast to impale itself through the eye. The force of the beast pushed the stunned hobbit back into a pine tree, before the warg fell over dead, the elvish blade sticking out of his eye.

Balin continued to run as a snarling warg chased after him, only to be cut down by Orcrist. Thorin had released his hold on Fili as the warg entered his peripheral vision, drawing his sword and slicing the warg's throat in one fluid motion. He grabbed a hold of his nephew's arm again, and hauled him toward safety as the rest of the company began to fight around them, protecting their king and prince from the onslaught.

Ori had never been more thankful of Fili's aid in training him with a warhammer as he did on that night, using Dwalin's hammer (which he had somehow managed to acquire in the frenzy following Gandalf's entrance into Goblin town) to crack the skull of a warg chasing him down the mountain.

Gloin and Nori were the first to reach the edge of the cliff, looking down in despair as Thorin, Dwalin and Fili reached them. They turned toward Thorin, a question in their gaze, but the dwarf king could only look at them, then back at their pursuers, realizing they were trapped.

XXX

Gandalf reached the edge of the cliff, racking his brain even as he cried for the dwarves to get up into the trees.

"Climb!" he cried, ushering the dwarves into the tall pines. For once, the wizard was quite grateful that he didn't have any arguments about how tree climbing was for elves, or that dwarves will stand and fight on the stony ground.

Indeed, the company was more than willing to comply with the wizard's suggestion, having enough sense to recognize that they were in a very tight spot. Bifur hurled a throwing axe at a warg quickly advancing on them, and Gandalf cried out again.

"Climb!" he cried. "Bifur, climb!" Thankfully, the quiet dwarf complied, aiding others into the trees.

Thorin and Dwalin moved to help Fili up into a tree, when suddenly the burly dwarf felt a booted foot bounce off his head.

"Hey!" the tall warrior growled, casting Nori a glare as the thief nimbly made his way up the tree. Thorin cried out his name, reminding him of the task at hand, and together the two managed to get Fili up, the latter moving as though he didn't care anymore.

Thorin jumped up after him, being taller than Fili and thus able to reach the branch his nephew couldn't. He grasped Fili's forearm, pulling on it.

"Fili!" he cried as the lad stared blankly at the oncoming wargs. "Lad, please!" Thorin had never used that plea with Fili before in his life, and it seemed to snap the young dwarf out of his trance. He looked up at his uncle, pleading blue eyes meeting expressionless light blue, and Fili grasped his uncle's wrist. Thorin tugged him upward, noting that his nephew was eyeing the wargs with a more calculating mind than he expected, his expression strange.

But he was climbing, and Thorin would take whatever he could get, as long as Fili remained alive and safe.

XXX

Once Thorin and Fili were up in the tree, Dwalin turned and threw his brother upward, the elder grabbing the branches gratefully. As soon as Balin had moved up a few steps, Dwalin followed. All over the tiny clearing, the dwarves aided each other in climbing into the trees, any grief from before temporarily dissipating in their present fear.

Gandalf scampered up the large pine on the edge of the cliff, climbing up as far as he dared to go. He soon spotted a very familiar moth, and, whispering a message to it, watched as it flew away, hoping the little creature would not fail in its task. Bombur hefted himself up, branch creaking under his weight.

Bilbo tugged and tugged on his sword, finally managing to pull it out of the warg's eye with a sickening squelch. He turned, eyes wide as he beheld the fierce wargs charging him.

Though hobbits hated heights, Bilbo decided he hated the idea of being eaten by a warg far worse, and just as the wargs rushed under the trees, Dori hauled the terrified hobbit up. Bilbo climbed up and up, telling himself over and over again to not look down.

"They're coming!" Thorin cried out. The dwarf king looked down, and breathed a slight sigh of relief as he saw all the dwarves off the ground and in the surrounding trees.

That sigh was short lived, however, as the dwarf king's eyes suddenly beheld what he surely thought was a ghost, his face draining.

"Azog," the dwarf king whispered.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXX**

**For READERS who are interested- translation of Gandalf's spell:**

**_Free the animal from the curse,_**

**_Now hear words of my voice, _**

**_Be its life renewed. _**

**A response to guest reviewer Ri-chan- I am honored to be your first consistent fan fic review recipient :) You don't need to have a story on here to have an account, but it is purely up to you :D I don't think there's much of an issue with space/net/info and such….considering how many hundreds of thousands of fics are on here…but like I said it is up to you. I do appreciate your reviews, and am glad that I have resolved the issue from your very first one, and that you now enjoy my story :D **

**Thanks to all who review, favorite and follow- you guys are the best! :D :D :D**


	56. Chapter 56

_**I do not own any of the characters or the Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC) those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reull Tolkien, and without his genius,this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.**_

_**Please review! I love getting them-they keep me encouraged J**_

The pale orc sat astride his great white warg, an evil smirk on his face as he finally spotted his quarry after many long years.

_He remembered the Battle of the Dimrill Dale, known to the dwarves as the Battle of Azanulbizar, very clearly. He remembered the triumphant surge of adrenaline as he severed the head of the dwarf king from his body, and the fear in the dwarves' eyes as they beheld their defiled leader. _

_He could also remember his duel with the hot headed young dwarf, the foolish prince charging through seas of soldiers in order to reach him. He could see that fire, that bloodlust, in the young blue eyes, and had recognized immediately that he was kin to the fallen. _

_He hated the line of Durin. He had hated it ever since he was a young orc, and had learned that the dwarves had been responsible for many sieges of their ancient home, Mt. Gundabad, slaying thousands of orcs in those vicious wars. The dwarves finally, after many years of fighting, had relinquished the sacred mountain to the orcs, but the hatred still burned within. _

_He could tell that this young dwarf prince was just barely at the age of marriage, from what he had understood from dwarf customs, and, given the 7 year long war, had not likely succeeded in said venture yet. His excitement had grown tenfold as he heard from various captains about the rest of the royal house being either killed or missing during the battle, and realized that the young dwarf before him must be the last of the line. _

Finally_, he had thought, _The end of the line of Durin is within my grasp.

_But fate was on the young prince's side, and the young dwarf attacked with a vengeance that Azog had rarely seen in an opponent before. Instead of him being victorious within a few swipes of his gigantic mace, he had been forced to fight a formidable battle, and the longer he went unvictorious, the angrier he became._

_Finally, just when he had the arrogant prince on his back, and was swinging for the death blow, a searing pain emitted from his left arm. Looking down as he roared in pain, he beheld his hand and half his forearm on the ground, severed from his body. He had grasped his wrist quickly, trying to staunch the flow of black blood as he dropped to one knee. _

_He had been brought back into the safety of Moria, Durin's bane having allowed them residence after realizing the usefulness of orcs in his realm, and, seeing a sharp multipronged tine, had ordered it seared to his arm to prevent himself from bleeding out. It had worked, and Azog the Defiler had sworn eternal vengeance against the dwarf who dared to defile _HIM.

_But the proud dwarf had eluded him for many decades, hiding in the villages of men and in mountains far to the west like a coward. With the presence of the Dunedain, elves, and the many human settlements between Weathertop and Ered Luin, most orcs sent to retrieve the head of the dwarf king had never returned, and Thorin Oakenshield had all but vanished. _

_And, with the high orc losses in the war, few could be spared to go, and with them never returning, the pale orc quickly ceased his hunt- temporarily. Focusing on rebuilding his armies, and spawning his son Bolg to be his eventual successor, the pale orc bided his time….and waited. _

_A few months ago, orc scouts had reported tidings from the evil men of Bree about a group of 13 dwarves, an old grey man, and a Halfling heading east. And, among the 13 was none other than his sworn enemy, Thorin Oakenshield. Finally sensing his opportunity, Azog had dispatched warg riders to hunt down the dwarf king, and after decades spent under The Redhorn, the pale orc himself emerged, intent on ending the line of Durin once and for all. _

Now, visible up in a tall pine with a white face, was none other than Thorin Oakenshield himself. And, in stark contrast to the young, arrogant dwarf prince who severed his arm, the dwarf king was completely shocked-and terrified.

Azog leaned forward, sniffing dramatically, and spoke.

"_Nuzdigid? Nuzdi gast?" _ The pale orc sneered in the Black Speech, sitting up with a disgusted look on his face.

_Do you smell it? The scent of fear? _

XXX

Thorin looked on the pale orc, his blue eyes startlingly wide.

"It cannot be," he whispered, shaking his head. Balin looked at him with concern, worried about how Thorin would react, especially in his grief ridden state.

Thorin had adamantly insisted that Azog was dead after the battle, even though warrior's creed had insisted that one see an opponent's light go out in their eyes and confirm the kill before such a declaration could be made.

Balin had tried over the years to convince his friend that there was a possibility that Azog still lived, but Thorin would not be dissuaded, insisting that a severed limb was a death sentence. And, most often it was, but the old dwarf felt it in his heart that something was amiss. However, he had respected Thorin's wishes (and realized he could not change his mind) and the matter was eventually dropped.

Balin's musings were cut off as Azog spoke again.

XXX

"_Ganzilig-i unarug, obod nazdanish,"_ Azog sneered, looking around at the whole company, before staring Thorin straight in the eye. "_Torin, undag Train-ob."_

_I remember your father reeked of it, Thorin son of Thrain. _

Azog sat up straight, and the she-warg beneath him straightened up her head as well, imitating her master. He lifted his great mace with his right hand, and pointed it straight at Thorin.

"_Kod, Toragid biriz,"_ he instructed, the orcs under his command nodding. "_Worori-da!_"

_That one is mine, kill the others!_

XXX

The wargs under Azog's command charged the pine trees immediately, and began throwing themselves into the air, snapping at the lower branches.

Bilbo grasped the branch tightly above him, face pale and eyes wide. Not knowing what else to do, he pointed his sword down, hoping against hope that the wargs beneath him would be just as stupid as the one he had killed.

Several of the dwarves began to cry out as their trees wobbled dangerously. Thorin shot a worried look toward his nephew, the younger's eyes fixed on the wargs beneath him with a strange expression on his face. The cold blue eyes, barely concealed rage swirling within them, were calculating, assessing their opponents. Almost as if…

Thorin's eyes widened. _Surely he wasn't going to…._

"Fili, NO!" he cried, lunging toward his nephew as the young dwarf moved to jump, the desire for revenge clear on his face. His left arm wrapped around his nephew's torso as his right hand grasped Fili's sword wrist in an iron grip. If it hadn't been for Balin and Dwalin's quick reflexes, the pair would have most certainly fallen in the midst of the ravenous wargs below.

As is, the two had barely managed to grasp Thorin's coat, hauling them back against the trunk of the wobbling tree.

"Let me go!" Fili roared, fighting his uncle. "I—" his words were cut off as their tree began to tip backwards.

XXX

The cracking sound of the roots breaking off sounded far louder to the dwarves' ears than the growling of the wargs, every single person in the trees keenly aware of the grave consequences of any misstep.

The tree that Thorin, Balin, Dwalin and Fili were in was the first to tip, slamming into the tree behind them. Dwalin didn't hesitate, throwing Thorin (who was still grasping a feral Fili, his knuckles white and his face damp from the effort) and his elder brother into the next tree with one hand on each, before jumping himself.

They landed on the next branches unsteadily, Thorin being forced to release one hand on his nephew to grasp a branch on the next. They didn't have a second to think before that tree tipped as well, and they had to jump again. The force of each successive tree caused them to hit harder and harder, until the entire company ended up in Gandalf's tree-save two.

XXX

As the fourth tree fell, Thorin reached for a branch on the tree that the wizard was in, and jumped.

But he fell just shy of it, fingers scraping bark as he fell to the ground with a loud cry, Fili landing on top of him. The approaching wargs had scampered back slightly as the two fell, and now approached the two slowly, the moonlight glinting off their long teeth as they snarled.

Panicked voices cried their names out from above, and Thorin immediately pushed Fili off of him in the direction of the tree, before standing and drawing his sword. Fili jumped up behind him, attempting to move past him, but Thorin grasped his arm and practically threw the grief ridden young dwarf between himself and the tree.

Fili smacked into the tree with a loud crack, but it didn't seem to affect the young dwarf, bloodlust shining in his enraged eyes. Before he attempted to move again, Thorin spoke behind him in Khuzdul, never taking his eyes off the advancing wargs.

"_Don't you DARE try to move past me!" _Thorin growled, praying to whomever would hear him that Fili would listen. The tone in the dwarf king's voice was one he had _never_ used with his nephews before in their life, and, even in his grief ridden state, Fili stopped suddenly, the effect of the words startling the young dwarf.

For a very brief second, the bloodlust left the young heir's eyes, and he was Fili again. But just as quickly, the young, frightened dwarfling became the grief ridden warrior once more, and tried to move past Thorin again.

In his blind rage, the young dwarf never saw the warg approaching his right.

XXX

Gandalf looked down in worry, seeing Thorin try in vain to keep Fili from attacking the five wargs alone.

As soon as he had heard the young dwarf's screams, Gandalf knew. Kili was gone, and Fili was broken. He had glanced worried eyes back at the young heir during their escape, then, when he had knelt down to revive him, he could feel it- the overwhelming despair. The same despair- that had taken Thrain after the battle of Azanulbizar.

Now, as he watched Fili move in to attack, despite Thorin's very clear warning, he knew he must interfere before the young heir gets killed. Reaching for a pinecone, he placed his staff near it, and began to blow as power surged through the long wooden artifact.

He was quite grateful that Cirdan had perceived his need of the elven Ring of Fire as the pinecone lit up in flame. As soon as it was lit, he threw it down at the warg approaching Fili's right, aiming to light the warg itself on fire, for the creatures of evil detested flame.

The blazing pinecone hit its target, but not before an ear splitting scream sounded through the hills.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXX**

**A response to guest reviewer Ari- Nope, not getting tired of it at all :D I am glad that you and other readers are ok with me taking it slow. Given that I like Tolkien, I am sure it comes as no surprise that I enjoy books I can sink my teeth into, if you understand my meaning ;) It will take about 2-3 weeks for them to find Kili/Cira, and there is a lot that has to happen before they do. Fili's reaction at seeing Kili alive will hopefully be tense, intense, and good :) and (spoiler) Thorin's will be good too- and Cira will finally get the "Thorin hug" equivalent genuine thank you-not a hug, given she's a female, but a heartfelt thanks. I am glad that you are feeling what my character feels- it tells me I am emoting effectively ;) I will try to have the next chapter up soon :D**

**Thanks to all who review, favorite, and follow- seriously, I don't know what I would do without you guys! You are such an encouragement to me! :D**


	57. Chapter 57

_**I do not own any of the characters or the Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC) those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reull Tolkien, and without his genius,this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.**_

_**Please review! I love getting them-they keep me encouraged J**_

Fili screamed as the warg clamped its jaws down on his arm, shoving his left sword through the warg's neck out of pure instinct as blood began to flow down his injured limb. A flaming pinecone hit the warg in that same instant, causing the trembling beast's fur to ignite as the beast cried out.

The warg jumped from the impact of both the sword and the pinecone, black blood squirting the young heir in the face, and sent a white faced Fili sailing back into the tree trunk. Several more flaming pinecones appeared flying from the tree in the next seconds, scattering the wargs in front of Thorin and igniting the brush.

A few more wargs were caught aflame as pinecones hit their targets, but most of the dwarves, while skilled warriors, were not the best at aim, preferring close quarter combat. However, the ploy worked, and the wargs began to retreat back to the safety of their pack, snarling and howling in anger and pain.

The force of the young dwarf's impact, however, combined with the original impact of the other trees and the warg's jumps, sent the tree falling after a minute.

The dwarves, hobbit and wizard still in the tree screamed and shouted as the tree began to fall over the edge of the cliff. Fate it seems was on their side, however, and the tree caught just as it was horizontal to the valley a thousand feet below.

XXX

The young heir gasped as blood dripped onto the ground, clutching his ribs with a pained expression, yet doing nothing to staunch the bleeding, the young heir's eyes somewhat vacant and accepting of his fate.

Thorin had turned just as Fili screamed, and just as he had begun to raise his sword to strike the beast dead, the pinecone had struck it from above. Now, there was a line of fire between the trapped dwarves and the orcs and wargs, and Thorin turned his attention to his nephew. His eyes wide with fear, he slid down on the soft dirt, his sword falling at his side.

"Fili," he whispered, ripping off a square of his tunic to tie around the young dwarf's upper arm to help slow the bleeding. "Can you hear me lad?" Fili's expression didn't change much, though he did attempt to stop Thorin from tying off the scrap of fabric.

"Please," he coughed, "Leave it." Thorin looked at Fili in shock.

"No," he said, tying it off tightly. "I WILL not lose you too!" A growl sounded from behind them, and Thorin quickly turned, the two pairs of blue eyes locking as the pale orc smirked.

Suddenly, a white hot rage burned within Thorin. This monster had killed his grandfather, defiling his body in a gruesome way. He had, by this action, caused Thorin's father to go mad with grief and go missing, only to die later, so lost in his mind that he had ceased to remember who he was.

This monster was responsible for all those who had perished in the Battle of Azanulbizar. This monster was responsible for the death of Thorin's own younger brother, Frerin. This monster undoubtedly had caused Kili's death, for had it not been for his orcs (he could recognize one of the orcs present with Azog now from the battle on the plain near Rivendell) they would not have been delayed, and perhaps they would not have ended up in Goblintown, and Kili might have lived. And this monster had ordered the now dead warg to maul his company to death-including his only remaining nephew.

Standing to his full height, with Orcrist raised in front of him, the dwarf king charged the pale orc, heedless of the cries of his company as he did so, determined to end this vicious monster once and for all.

XXX

The dwarf king began to run, slowly at first, then faster and faster, drawing his oaken shield in front of him, the plain branch that had saved his life now carved and trimmed into a fitting shield that fit perfectly over his forearm.

The closer he got to Azog, the more enraged he got. It never dawned on him that he was charging a mounted foe, nor did he realize that his opponent had the high ground in his fury. Only one thought ran through the dwarf king's mind as he raced through the narrow gap in the flames.

Kill this evil, worthless spawn of Morgoth, and show him no mercy.

XXX

Dwalin watched in horror as his king and friend charged, recognizing the folly in his actions immediately.

"Thorin! NO!" he cried, eyes wide and face pale at the sight of his king charging a clearly advantaged enemy.

Scrambling to find purchase on the branch he was holding, he tried to climb up it, only for the branch to break slightly as his weight proved to be too much. He swore a vicious curse in Khuzdul, before trying once again to climb up, not tugging quite so hard at the same time.

How the bloody elves do this regularly is a mystery to me, the burly dwarf thought to himself as another branch snapped a bit.

But he knew he MUST get there as fast as he could, else the line of Durin may well be ended this night.

XXX

Bilbo watched in growing horror at the scene unfolding before him.

As the dwarves fought to keep their holds on the shaky tree, he simply had to hang on, his small body being light enough to not put any pressure on the thick branches. He swallowed thickly, nausea threatening as he realized just how far it was to the bottom of the valley beneath them. Hobbits do not like heights at all, and he is no exception.

Hearing Ori cry out as he lost his hold, the hobbit's gaze flew toward the top of the tree, face pale at the thought of young Ori's fate.

"Hold on, Ori!" Dori cried, and Bilbo saw the scribe dangling precariously off his brother's foot, the elder's face red with exertion at attempting to maintain what little hold he had.

As Dori's grip loosened, he cried out to the wizard, who had been looking anxiously around as though expecting something.

"Mr. Gandalf!" he cried, before his grip failed. He cried out, only to grasp the end of the wizard's long staff, Ori still holding on his ankle.

A battle roar sounded, and Bilbo turned in time to see the white warg jump at her quarry, her front paws hitting Thorin in the face as he fell down to the ground.

XXX

Balin's eyes widened, and he tried in vain to climb up from where he was at, but it was no use. He could only stare in horror as the great warg clamped her jaws down on Thorin's torso.

"NO!" he cried. He saw Dwalin fighting to get to a spot where he could get up and defend his king, and cried out.

"Dwalin!" he shouted. "Hurry!"

"I'm trying, you old fool!" the younger snapped, before finally getting a grip on a branch sturdy enough to bear his weight.

He hauled himself to his feet, looking up with surprise at the hobbit that was now running full speed toward their fallen king, letter opener raised.

_I really hope that he remembers what I taught him_, the burly dwarf thought as he began to charge as well. _Or this is going to end worse than I thought._

XXX

Bilbo had no idea what he was doing.

He had climbed up onto the tree trunk, forsaking any sense of hold he had on the precariously perched tree, drawn his sword with a shaking hand, and run straight toward a pack of orcs mounted on wargs.

Orcs-that were twice his size. Wargs-that had mouths full of sharp teeth. And said creatures had just disarmed and injured a dwarf king who had held a sword for more years than Bilbo had been alive.

No, he had no idea what he was doing, and it was probably just as well-if he took the time to think about it, he probably would be far too terrified to act.

But as he ran through the fire, and saw an orc place a knife at Thorin's throat, before raising it to cut his head off, the Tookish streak within him burned fiercely. His legs moved quickly, far more quickly than he had ever run before. He ducked his head, and shut his eyes, before colliding with the orc with a loud battle cry.

The force of the hobbit's body had knocked the evil creature over, putting him astride the surprised orc. Had this been a straight up fight, Bilbo wouldn't have had a prayer. But, due to the surprise of the attack, the orc was far too flustered to make any decent counterattack, and Bilbo grasped the hilt of his sword with two hands and rammed it into the Orc's belly as far as it would go, digging into the ground on the other side.

The creature shrieked as it died, arching before laying back still. The angry hobbit jumped up, pulling his sword out of the dead orc with a squelch, before facing the group. Eyes widening as he realized just what he got himself into, the terrified hobbit grasped the hilt of his sword as tight as he could, even taking a few swings in an attempt to be intimidating.

Somehow he doubted the orcs and wargs took him seriously, for the sight of such a small, gentle creature wielding a sword the size of a small knife isn't exactly reminiscent of an intimidating warrior.

But one thing he knew- Thorin, despite his gruffness and disdain for the hobbit, was a king. And Bilbo would rather die for a king he chose to follow than hang from a tree about to fall over a cliff, looking on and doing nothing.

Yes, he had found a golden magic ring that made him invisible in the Goblin tunnels. But the hobbit had also found something else too- his courage.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**A response to guest reviewer Ri-chan- Sounds like you had a fun day :) I think I did let you know- but if you would like a reminder- it's about two or three weeks. As to life- my husband was on vacation/holiday from work this past week, and my sister was in town visiting us (and stayed at our house) so that's why there was the lull in updating. Very, very busy preparing for winter! As for Halloween- we actually do not celebrate it at all. We feel that it conflicts with our faith and our ideas about child raising, and as such do not acknowledge the holiday. If you enjoy it, then I say have fun! :D But we choose to not celebrate it personally, though I respect other's desire to do so :)**

**Thanks to all who review, favorite, and follow- you guys are such a great and amazing group of people, and I could not ask for better readers! :D :D :D**


	58. Chapter 58

_**I do not own any of the characters or the Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC) those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reull Tolkien, and without his genius,this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.**_

_**Please review! I love getting them-they keep me encouraged J**_

Three wargs began to approach the hobbit slowly, growling. Bilbo's heart was in his throat, but he stood his ground.

He could hear the labored breathing of the dwarf king behind him, but did not dare to take his eyes off the wargs approaching him.

_Ironic, isn't it,_ the hobbit thought to himself. _Here I am, Bilbo Baggins of Bag End, a formerly respectable hobbit, about to meet my end at the jaws of wargs on a mountainside in the wild. Never thought this would be how I would die. _

A fiery spirit suddenly burned within him, the blaze that had been hidden within from young childhood had come alive. At that moment, he was no Baggins. He was a Took, and he would defend his king and friend to his dying breath.

And if this is how he was destined to die, then so be it.

XXX

Azog sneered at the stubborn Halfling before him. Adrenaline surged in his veins as he beheld his prize behind the hobbit, his eyes glinting at his prize. He was so close to victory.

And the dwarf king, though he did not know it, had made a grave mistake. He had guarded the young blond dwarf with his life, and had shown great fear when the dwarf he called Fili had been injured. The pale orc had watched with growing interest as the frightened dwarf king tied off the young one's wounds, tenderness, love and worry showing in the usually stern gaze.

The look that Thorin had given him after had confirmed the pale orc's suspicions. And Azog would greatly enjoy making him watch as he destroyed that which was most dear and precious to the arrogant dwarf king.

His son.

XXX

Fili wasn't Thorin's son, of course. He was his nephew-his sister's child, but he (and Kili) had been the closest thing to sons that the dwarf king had ever had.

Dwalin had seen that bond form, especially after the lads had lost their father in that tragic accident so many years ago. Thorin tried as best he could to be a father figure to them, though he wasn't always the best at it.

But one thing Dwalin knew- no matter how many mistakes his friend made while trying to raise the lads, Thorin would protect his nephew from harm as long as he lived. And as the burly dwarf had fought to gain a hold in the tree, he had seen the recognition dawn in Azog's eyes. The dwarf's face paled.

_He knows, _Dwalin realized as he stood atop the tree trunk and drew Grasper and Keeper. _He knows that Fili is kin-and of the Line of Durin. _

The warrior knew then that, no matter the cost, Azog must be destroyed. Readying his axes, a great war cry emanated from the large dwarf as he charged toward the wargs surrounding the pale orc. He heard the familiar tread of Balin and Gloin behind him, the two having managed to rise from the tree as well. The familiar words were echoed behind him as the company's cries rallied together, the famous battle cry echoing off the mountainside.

_Baruk Khazad, Khazad ai-Menu!_

XXX

The orcs and wargs turned their heads to meet flashing steel. Axe and sword flew as the furious dwarves fought in defense of their fallen king.

Bofur had also managed to disentangle himself from the falling tree, and knelt beside the young prince, ripping off pieces of his own tunic to bind the bite marks on his arm and staunch the blood flow further. Fili had thankfully succumbed to unconsciousness again, and he was unhindered in his task.

The miner's eyes stung, and he honestly wasn't sure if it was the smoke from the fire or his sorrow. Reaching up to wipe them with the back of his hand, he tied off the last of the marks, before wiping the black blood off the young heir's face.

The miner then stood, orc blade held up as he stood vigil over his fallen prince, having lost his mattock in Goblin town. The young prince would not be harmed again, not until the miner had drawn his last breath.

This was what he had sworn to do, and he would not fail in his task.

XXX

Gandalf was hard pressed to keep his hold on the staff any longer.

Dori, being old yet one of the strongest of the company, had managed to keep his grip on the end of the smooth staff for quite a while, but it was not to last.

The moth returned, flying by the wizard's face just as Dori lost his grip, the dwarf and his younger brother plunging to the depths below with a cry. The second the two dwarves fell, the wizard yanked his staff upward, confident that his call had been answered, and ready to aid the fallen king.

He would be forever grateful to Gwaihir, the Windlord, for keeping the oath he had made to the grey pilgrim so many years ago.

XXX

Dori and Ori landed on the back of a giant eagle, their eyes wide.

Not willing to contest the means of their apparent "rescue", Dori clutched his youngest brother, who was in front of him, his knuckles white in his grip.

"Hold on!" he shouted, and the terrified Ori complied, gripping the eagle's feathers tightly.

He glanced backward over Dori's shoulder, and sighed with relief as the shadows of several more eagles began to descend towards the cliff edge.

_Thank Mahal,_ the scribe whispered. The tears finally flowed freely, and the young scribe made no attempts to stop them. Dori gripped him tightly from behind, the elder's grief soon apparent as well.

They were safe, but not all of them. The scribe looked back at the mountain- the mountain that had become a grave.

_Goodbye, Kili,_ he whispered in Khuzdul, throat catching at the memory of his young friends. _Goodbye, Cirashala. May your spirits find their way to the halls of your fathers, and dwell in peace forevermore._

XXX

The great beasts swooped down, and Bilbo's eyes grew wide as they began to snatch up wargs, dousing them in flames before throwing them off the side of the cliff.

All eyes turned toward the sky, faces pale as they began to duck, unsure if the great birds were friends or foe. An eagle landed on the top of a tree, great wings flapping as the tall pine came crashing down, crushing three wargs beneath it. Another came up, wings fanning the flames until they consumed four more wargs.

The orcs and wargs began scrambling, their attempts to avoid the large talons largely unsuccessful. Azog and his mount, however dodged them fairly easily, the pair being quite a bit more intelligent than their subordinates. The giant orc growled as he saw his hunting party grow smaller by the second.

His eyes caught a movement to his left, and his eyes darted towards his prize, the dwarf king having succumbed to unconsciousness shortly after the insufferable Halfling had interfered.

_No, _he thought to himself as he saw the eagle's trajectory. He directed his mount towards the dwarf king, but was too late.

XXX

Gwaihir, the Lord of the Eagles, swooped down with a cry, talons gently lifting the unconscious dwarf from the ground.

He made sure to grab what he assumed to be the dwarf's weapon, before rising quickly above the fray, seeing the distrustful looks of the dwarves near.

He wouldn't be surprised if the dwarves believed his flock to be their enemy, and believe him to intend to drop what appeared to be their leader to his death. In response to the glares, he gently readjusted the unconscious dwarf in his talons, before gripping him tight, and flew upwards, trusting those under his command to fulfill their task.

The eagle lord did not notice the small oaken shield that fell to the ground.

XXX

Bilbo heard the pale orc roar with rage as Thorin was carried away, and smirked.

That smirk quickly disappeared, however, as another eagle followed the first, talons sweeping toward the terrified hobbit. He opened his mouth to protest, but no sound came out, and with a cry he was snatched up, only to be released.

His eyes bulged nearly out of their sockets as the hobbit fell, a scream ripping from his throat. The scream was abruptly stopped as Bilbo landed on the back of another eagle with a thud. The hobbit blinked stupidly in surprise, before seeing the ground passing below him at an astonishing speed.

Heart leaping into his throat, he gripped the feathers of the great eagle tightly, causing the bird below to squeak.

"Can you loosen your hold a bit?" the great bird squawked, causing the startled hobbit's jaw to drop. "I won't drop you!"

"Uh, erm, all right," the hobbit stuttered, loosening his grip. The bird sighed in relief, shoulders twitching just a bit as the eagle readjusted his tugged feathers.

Bilbo looked behind him, seeing the rest of the flock snatching up his companions. Some were dropped on the backs of others, and a few unlucky ones remained in the great birds' talons. Bilbo could see the distinctive silhouette of Bombur hanging from one eagle, and pitied the poor dwarf.

_His arms are going to hurt badly, _Bilbo thought to himself with a grimace. _I hope these eagles don't intend to fly all night!_

XXX

Gandalf watched as each dwarf was plucked from the ground, and, despite the gravity of the situation, chuckled at the expression on the hobbit's face as he was snatched up as well.

His gaze returned to the young heir, still lying unconscious with Bofur standing vigil over him. An eagle swooped down towards the pair, and Bofur raised his sword. The wizard's eyes widened as he cried out.

"Bofur, NO!" he shouted, causing the miner's arm to drop and look at the wizard with a confused expression. "These are friends!" Bofur's eyes grew wide, but before he could respond, a great eagle snatched him up, dropping him as well.

Another eagle followed, gently picking up the young heir much like his lord had done with Thorin.

The wizard felt the tree below his feet shift suddenly, and as it began to give way, he jumped.

He landed on the back of an eagle below him, and glanced behind him at the fiery cliff top as it slowly faded from view, before his eyes turned to look at the young heir ahead of him. Gwaihir and Thorin were already tiny specks on the moonlit horizon, the wizard's keen eyes unable to assess the dwarf king's condition from this distance. A roar of fury sounded faintly behind them, and the wizard felt a small sense of triumph at foiling the pale orc's plans.

As the wind blew past and the eagles rose to fly over the mountain top ahead, the grey wizard could only hope that they weren't too late to save the last of the line of Durin.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXX**

**READERS: For those of you who were asking for more Kili/Cirashala- they will appear next chapter-no worries :) **

**A response to guest reviewer Ri-chan: I agree with Mr. Juarez :) I have also heard of Dia de Muertos-the day of the dead :) I prefer harvest festivals myself, to be honest. Hay rides, hot cider, carnival games (with candy for prizes instead of tokens), roasted pumpkin seeds, potluck dinner, fun songs, music :D My husband and I plan to get a small farm eventually, when he is done with his schooling, and perhaps then we can host such a thing at our place :) I have only ever been to one before, and it was so much fun! And it doesn't conflict with my faith either, so it's a win-win situation :D**

**A response to guest reviewer- Guest: Here you go! :D I apologize for any wait, but it has been a VERY busy past week…but when winter sewing and preparation is finally done, I should have more time to write, and will (hopefully) be able to update more frequently. **

**Thanks to all who review, favorite, and follow- you guys are so awesome! :D :D :D**


	59. Chapter 59

_**I do not own any of the characters or the Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC) those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reull Tolkien, and without his genius,this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.**_

_**Please review! I love getting them-they keep me encouraged J**_

Cirashala stirred as the morning sun's rays shone through her eyelids. Eyes opening slowly, she blinked in the bright light. Yawning heavily, she rubbed her eyes with the heel of her hand, before taking in her surroundings.

She appeared to be in a wood, the sun's brightness cutting through a thick layer of fog enveloping the trees surrounding her. She could hear birds chirping in the trees above, and the sound of water splashing on rocks. Despite the sun, the morning was cold, and she shivered, drawing the warm fur that covered her under her chin.

She groaned slightly after a moment as she realized she needed to get up and find a tree. Attempting to rise from the ground, she froze with a hiss as pain laced up her back. Memories of the great goblin's cavern flooded her, and the wounds across her shoulders and back burned as she collapsed back down on the ground. She closed her eyes, breaths coming quickly as she fought the pain.

_What I wouldn't give for elvish pain tea right now, _she thought to herself as her teeth clenched together.

She jumped with a slight yelp as warm breath suddenly ghosted across the back of her neck, a soft snore following. An arm tightened slightly around her abdomen as she felt someone press up against her from the back, nuzzling her hair for a moment, before stilling. The young woman froze, sucking in a sharp breath as her eyes widened.

_W-who…_

The sun glinted off a small clasp on the furs she was snuggled under, causing her to glance down. She recognized Kili's coat, and images flashed through her mind. Falling in the goblin tunnels, pulling an unconscious Kili out of the river, reviving the young dwarf, Kili offering her his own tunic and bandaging her wounds, and finally, sitting next to the tree by the fire, admitting her fear to the young prince and him in turn admitting his own.

How she ended up falling asleep in Kili's arms and sharing his coat, however, remained a complete mystery to her. But, mysteries aside, she _really _needed to get up. The only question was how she was going to manage that while not waking him, given that his arm was around her waist.

_I hope he is a deep sleeper, _she thought to herself as she began to attempt to wriggle free. _Because I will NOT let him accompany me, no matter what he says. _

XXX

Kili shivered, feeling the loss of warmth. Frowning in his sleep, he scooted further in the direction the warmth had been, only for his hands to reach cold air.

Brow furrowing in confusion, the sleepy dwarf opened his eyes slowly. He spotted the empty space next to him, blinking stupidly for a moment, before his eyes flew wide open.

Sitting up quickly, he gasped, biting his lip as a muffled groan emanated from his chest. His breath came in quick gasps as pain seared up through his ribs and shoulder. He brought his shaking hand up to rub along his chest gently, feeling for breaks. Spotting several, the young prince groaned.

_Lovely, _he thought to himself, grimacing. _Six broken ribs. How in Durin's name am I supposed to bind them myself? _

The thought of Cirashala doing it never entered his thinking. Dwarves were modest as a rule (except when bathing or being healed, of course) but even then, that lack of modesty was only usually in front of the same gender or family. Kili, having known his healer cousin, Oin, his whole life, had never had to bare his chest for any female, save his own mother.

She would bathe him as a small dwarfling, and, after he had grown up, bandage the various wounds sustained during his weapons training. The young dwarf had endured enough teasing and laughter over his leaner frame and less-than-dwarvish looks, and he was mortified at the thought of Cirashala seeing his bare chest. Or worse, criticizing him for having less muscle than other dwarves did.

He wondered whether she had been just as mortified the evening before, when he had bandaged her wounds, and felt even worse about it. The sound of a frog splashing into the small spring next to their campsite startled him out of his thoughts, and he remembered that she was not in camp.

Grabbing his knife, he put his hand out against the tree they had leaned against the night before and pushed himself to his feet. His keen eyes glanced around, peering into the fog, but there was no sign of her. His dark eyes scanned the ground, barely spotting small footprints leading north visible in the morning dew.

Taking a deep breath, coughing as it put pressure on his ribs, he began to follow them, hoping that she was safe. Because, if she was, he was going to give her an earful about how stupid it was to go off by herself-again.

XXX

Cirashala stood up shakily, stomach growling. Wiping her mouth, she leaned against the tree, frustrated that she had lost yet another bout of nausea.

_There has to be SOMETHING in this forest to help with pain!_ She thought to herself in dismay. _An aspirin tree or something- is that too much to ask?_

She knew that she could boil the bark of an aspirin tree, and drink it to relieve her pain. But she hadn't the faintest idea what it looked like, or even if there _were_ any in Middle-earth. She racked her brain, trying in vain to remember if Lord Elrond had mentioned anything at all about which herbs had been used in the tea. Her mind drew a blank.

_Athelas might work, _she thought suddenly, before her face fell with a sigh. _I wish I could remember what it looked like. _

She briefly contemplated asking Kili if he knew the healing plant, but then remembered that, by now, the only folk who remembered that this was a healing herb were the elves and the Dunedáin. Kili was neither, and he wasn't even an actual healer among his own people, so she highly doubted he would know.

Still, it wouldn't hurt to ask. She remembered Sam referring to the "weed" as _Kingsfoil, _so she would ask Kili about it when she returned to camp. Maybe there was a chance he knew the plant if she were to refer to it in its Westron name.

She looked around, noticing that the fog had thickened, and shivered. She could still faintly see the sun's outline, but could barely see past arm's length ahead of her. She began to cautiously walk back, hoping that she wouldn't lose her way.

Goodness knows they were lost enough already.

XXX

Kili stumbled over tree roots, the ground slightly damp from the dense fog.

_How far did she go? _He asked himself. _I should have found her by now. _

He did not dare to call her name out, keenly aware of how close they were still to the goblin tunnels. Though goblins disliked daylight, they had been known to come out on cloudy days. The sun had gotten duller as the fog grew thicker, and Kili gripped his knife tightly, swallowing.

He was in no condition to fight, and neither was she. As his eyes scanned through the dense fog, he cursed under his breath.

If she didn't learn to tell him where she was going, he may well have to tie her to his wrist.

XXX

Cirashala kept following the sound of the stream, hoping it would lead her back to camp.

She dearly hoped she wasn't lost, but either she had gone a lot further than she had realized, or she was following the wrong stream. Still, she continued on, knowing that it was better to be near water than away.

She suddenly heard a twig snap in the distance, and froze. Heart pounding, she bent down and grasped a branch off the ground, before moving behind a tree as silently as she could. She could hear the footfalls come closer, and breathed slowly and silently, gripping the branch in the ready as Fili had shown her.

She was, like Kili, keenly aware of the goblin tunnels nearby. But what worried her more was that, unlike the young dwarf, she knew that Azog and his warg pack were out there too- hunting the dwarves.

She dearly hoped that the others were all right, and that the eagles had rescued them in time. She didn't know which way the warg pack would go, or if they would come this direction. But she wasn't willing to take any chances. Doubting a branch would hold them off for long, she debated climbing into the tree, but as soon as she tried to lift her arms up, her face twisted in pain.

The heavy footsteps grew closer, and Cirashala could feel her heart threatening to pound out of her chest.

_3….2….1…._

She came out from behind the tree with her "sword" held up, swinging it as hard as she could at the dark figure, both shouting as they collided and fell backward into the cold stream behind them with a loud splash.

XXX

Kili fumbled for his knife, grasping it with his right hand as he came up sputtering, still sitting on the bottom of the stream bed. His opponent was on top of him, but with all the water in his eyes, he could not see the other, especially with the splashing and struggling.

He grasped the right wrist of his opponent, before bringing his hand up, only for his own wrist to be blocked by a small, shaking hand.

"Kili, stop!"

Blinking water out of his eyes, the dark orbs widened as they met familiar, frightened blue ones.

"C-Cirashala!" he panted, heart pounding from adrenaline as he lowered his knife away from her neck, the young dwarf trembling at what might have been had she not cried out. "Why in Durin's name did you attack me!?" She blushed to the roots of her hair in her embarrassment.

"S-s-sorry!" she stammered, not meeting his gaze. "I-I thought you were a goblin, o-or warg or something!" His eyes widened, and the startled young dwarf stared at her in bewilderment.

Before he could ask her just what harm she planned on doing to a _warg _with a _branch, _a loud rustle sounded from the forest behind them, causing both to freeze. Cirashala's wide eyes looked over her shoulder, then back at Kili, whose eyes were fixed on the forest.

"What—" she whispered, but Kili immediately released her wrist and clamped his hand down over her mouth, cutting her off.

"Shh," he whispered, glancing around quickly. His gaze landed on a waterfall in the stream-the water falling about three feet in a solid sheet to meet the stream below it. To a regular person, the rocks the waterfall fell over seemed to be a solid wall, but to the experienced eyes of a dwarf, a tiny cave was visible behind it, its presence hidden by the rocks that came out from the side of it.

She watched as dark eyes glanced at her, then back at the waterfall, before returning to her. She followed his gaze, before looking at him and nodding. She didn't see how it could help them, but she trusted Kili's judgment. The young dwarf quickly sheathed his knife, before gently grabbing her waist and sliding her off his lap.

The two crawled over to the waterfall as quickly as they dared, not wishing to make too much noise. Another loud rustle sounded, and the howl of a warg sounded through the fog. Kili looked up, face paling, before grabbing her arm and shoving her under the waterfall. As soon as she was under, he dove under as well, coming up on the other side.

He only hoped that the water would throw off their scent. Otherwise, their luck may well run out.

XXX

Cirashala came up out of the water, spitting out the little that had ended up in her mouth. Turning, she spotted Kili come up as well, before the young dwarf pushed her to the back of the tiny cave.

Her back hit the smooth rock wall, and she cried out, muffling it with her hands over her mouth. Kili immediately turned and backed up to her, placing himself in between her and the opening as he drew his dagger. The roof of the small cave sloped downward, forcing the two to sit down on the rocky ledge that stuck out, Kili's boots barely behind the line of falling water.

Neither of them dared to breathe.

XXX

Despite the gravity of the situation, Cirashala couldn't help but feel a bit like a frog, with Kili sitting between her legs and her knees nearly up to her shoulders, but it was preferable to being attacked by wargs…._again_. And it wasn't the poor dwarf's fault that this cave was tiny. She considered them fortunate that he had even spotted it in the first place. Kili was very tense against her, chest drawing shallow breaths.

"Sorry," he said softly, whispering so quietly she could barely hear him, his gaze never leaving the waterfall. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

Instead of replying, she reached up, resting her hand gently on his shoulder. He jumped slightly, glancing down at her hand, before slowly bringing his left up and resting it atop hers, squeezing lightly. She could feel him trembling, and realized that he, too, was afraid.

As the wargs came into view, the two froze, not daring to move lest they be discovered. Though the features of the orcs atop some of them were distorted from the solid sheet of water in front of them, there was no mistaking the giant pale orc atop the white warg at the head of the pack.

As soon as Azog came into view, Kili's grip on her hand tightened until his knuckles were white, and Cirashala could hear the sharp intake of breath. She suddenly realized that he had not known the pale orc was alive either.

_I hope he has more sense than his uncle, _she thought to herself. _I have no desire to meet Azog without a wizard nearby. _


	60. Chapter 60

_**I do not own any of the characters or the Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC) those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reull Tolkien, and without his genius,this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.**_

_**Please review! I love getting them-they keep me encouraged J**_

Kili watched, frozen in place, as he beheld the pale orc in the flesh for the first time.

The young prince watched as Azog stepped off his mount, the great orc looking around for a moment, before speaking to one of the orcs under his command. The two tensed as the giant pale orc suddenly stepped into the pond, bodies trembling and hearts pounding as they barely dared to breathe.

Kili's hold on Cirashala's hand tightened slightly, and she had to bite back a wince as her knuckles pressed awkwardly against each other. The young dwarf didn't seem to notice, dark eyes never leaving the pale orc as he waded closer and closer to their hiding spot.

Pressing even closer against her, Kili's fingers tightened around the dagger he was holding until his knuckles were white, and the pattern of the teal twine wrapped around the handle dug into his palm. He kept it just below the water so as to avoid the sun glinting off the blade, wishing desperately that he was as decent at knife throwing as his brother.

Despite having excellent aim with a bow and arrow, the young dwarf had never quite managed to match his elder brother's skill with throwing knives and axes. Fili had always been the stronger, despite being an inch shorter, and had little trouble with a warhammer and axes. Kili, on the other hand, had been slighter, despite being taller, and didn't have as much muscle, which had caused him to hone his skills at archery rather than with heavy, "traditional" dwarf weapons.

Thorin had not been keen on the idea at first, believing bows and arrows to be more useful for hunting than war, but after having seen many dwarves fall to orc arrows over the years, and seeing the trouble Kili had had with heavy axes and warhammers in training, had grudgingly accepted his youngest nephew's choice of weapon. He did, however, insist that Kili learn swordplay as well, in case he was ever in a position where a bow could not be used.

The dwarf king could shoot a bow as well, having been trained in all manners of weaponry as a prince of Erebor before the mountain fell, but Kili soon surpassed even his skill. At a young age, the normally impulsive dwarfling would become surprisingly calm and focused when wielding a bow, his eyesight quite keen, and his aim sure. Though he was not a perfect archer, or even as good as elves (a fact he mostly attributed to his height disadvantage, and not having endless centuries to practice), the young dwarf was undoubtedly one of the best archers in Ered Luin.

And now, more than ever, he wished desperately that he had not lost his bow in the goblin tunnels.

XXX

As the pale orc's eyes landed on their hiding spot, a grin spread across the hideous face, causing the young dwarf's heart to nearly stop with fright. The brown eyes widened as Azog stepped dangerously close to the waterfall, eyeing it with interest.

Kili wasn't stupid. He knew what would happen should orcs discover them, especially in their injured state. He had heard plenty of stories about the atrocities and horrors orcs would commit to their prisoners, and, while the young dwarf feared what they would do to him, he was even more worried about the trembling young woman behind him.

If the pale orc should discover _her_….

_Please, _the young dwarf thought as his heart threatened to jump right out of his chest. _By Eru, Mahal, and all the Valar, _PLEASE _do not let him see us!_

XXX

Suddenly, the pale orc thrust his forked hand into the waterfall, causing the terrified young dwarf to nearly jump out of his skin, startled eyes widening as far as they go.

A seemingly loud crack sounded through the tiny cavern, but the young dwarf paid it no mind, his terrified gaze frozen on the pale orc as the giant's claw emerged from the water. A silver, bloodied fish was impaled on the great tines, writhing as it died.

Azog eyed the fish for a moment, before taking a large bite out of the raw flesh. Blood dribbled down the great orc's chin, and Kili felt his stomach churn slightly at the sight. Dwarves, while not the cleanest eaters, at least _cooked _their meat before eating! The young dwarf trembled, breaths coming quickly as he willed his racing heart to calm down.

His broken ribs greatly protested the sudden movement, pain radiating from the damaged bones. His grip on Cirashala's hand loosened slightly as his heart began to slow to its normal pace. The young dwarf's eyes closed, focusing on deep, slow breaths, hands trembling.

The young dwarf jumped slightly as he felt a sudden, strange pull on the back of his coat. It almost felt as if….

_I-is she _biting _my coat?_

Before the young dwarf could even turn around, a muffled scream reached his ears.

XXX

Azog stepped out of the water, enjoying his meal.

The wargs under his command sniffed the ground repeatedly, bewildered expressions on their faces. The pale orc looked up as his scout returned, watching as the dark orc dismounted his beast.

_"There was a recent campsite further up,"_ the orc reported in black speech. _"But there were no footsteps, nor scent, beyond the dark waterfall." _Azog's eyes narrowed.

"_There is not enough room for a giant eagle to land there," _Azog replied. "_Are you _certain _there was no other scent trail, or broken trees to indicate they landed?" _The orc gulped, nodding.

"_Aye, my lord," _the creature replied. _"The trail began at the edge of the dark water, and ended here. The trees were unbroken." _

Azog gritted his jaw in frustration. There was no elvish valley anywhere near here, and no plausible reason for the eagles to have dropped the dwarves in that location. He eyed his scout dangerously, bringing his claw up to the orc's neck.

_"I do not want lies, or excuses," _the pale orc growled. "_If I find you have given me either…" _The creature's eyes widened.

_"There was the scent of a woman too, my lord!" _the orc cried, causing Azog's tines to stop abruptly a hair's breadth away from the trembling creature's neck. The pale orc lowered his claw, eyeing his scout with interest.

"_A woman?" _Azog repeated, and the creature nodded.

"_A human woman, and the scent of dwarf," _the scout replied. Azog's brow furrowed even further in confusion.

_There was no human woman on the mountainside, _the pale orc thought to himself. _Are these travelers not from Thorin Oakenshield's company, then? But why would a human woman be traveling with a dwarf out here in the wild? _

_"Did that stupid goblin mention anything about a woman?" _Azog asked his lieutenant. The creature shook his head.

_"No, my lord, but there was a woman who threw herself between the young one in the company and on of our scout's wargs outside the cursed elvish valley," _the lieutenant replied. _"I remember Yazneg mentioning it, but from what he had said, it sounded like her wounds would have been fatal."_

Azog's gaze hardened.

_"Why was this not mentioned to me before?" _he asked angrily, glaring at his lieutenant, who shrank into himself slightly.

"_Yazneg assured me she looked dead from where he stood," _came the fearful reply. The pale orc growled in frustration, wishing now that he had not fed the miserable orc to the wargs so soon. He would take great delight doing it NOW.

_So, this woman and dwarf- they _are_ a part of Thorin's company, _the pale orc thought to himself. _And, if they are near here…._

_"They must have continued on in the stream," _Azog stated. _"We will follow the stream and find them. And when we do, we keep them _alive._"_ The orcs and wargs looked at each other in confusion.

_"Alive, my lord?" _one of the orcs asked, and Azog nodded, mounting his warg.

_"They may lead us to the rest of the dwarves, and could be used as bait," _he replied. An evil glint came into his cold blue eyes. "_And the woman- she is _mine._"_ He spurred his warg on, and the rest of the orcs mounted their wargs as well, following their leader.

None were aware of the two lost members of the company shaking in the tiny cave.

XXX

As soon as the last warg faded into the thinning fog, Kili turned around, eyes widening in shock at the sight before him.

Cirashala's face was twisted in pain, her whole body shaking as she cradled her quickly swelling right hand, having yanked it out of the dwarf's grip as soon as it was loose enough. She immediately curled in on herself as soon as Kili moved out of her way, her breaths coming in rapid succession as she gritted her teeth.

Kili looked down at her swelling hand, then at her, then back down to the hand, the blood draining from his face as realization dawned.

_T-that loud crack, _he thought to himself, eyes widening. _It-it was her hand….the one I….I squeezed…._

"_Mahalu-me turg_," he breathed in horror, realizing that, in his fright, he had broken her hand. "C-Cirashala, I….oh _Mahal."_ He shuddered, swallowing thickly as tears pricked the corner of his eyes.

She forced her eyes open, pain and wariness in the tear filled blue orbs.

"Y-you _swore,_" she gasped, shock and hurt evident in her gaze. "B-back in…in the tr-troll's cave…." Kili's eyes widened, the young dwarf sucking in a sharp breath as he felt his heart plummet into his stomach.

_I-I swore I wouldn't hurt her…._

"C-Cirashala, I—" Kili's voice caught, the young prince struggling to maintain his composure. "I…_Mahal_, I am SO sorry! I-I didn't mean…." He trailed off, swallowing heavily, before reaching a shaking hand out to take hers.

"L-let me look at—" he froze as she flinched away from him with a gasp, hurt and shock in his features as he saw her fear. The young dwarf's eyes filled with tears, and he struggled desperately to keep them from falling.

_S-she's terrified of me. _

"I-I'm sorry," he whispered, shoulders slumping as a lone tear trickled down his cheek, landing in the still water below."Please, _please _don't be afraid of me."

XXX

Cirashala looked at the defeated young dwarf, hearing the heartfelt and sincere apology in his tone.

Her hand throbbed with an intense pain she wasn't familiar with, having never broken a bone before in her life. When he had squeezed her hand as Azog had thrust his claw into the waterfall, she had barely managed to bite the back of his coat in time to keep the scream from sounding through the glade and alerting the orc to their presence.

The realization that the young dwarf could squeeze hard enough to break her hand had terrified her, having forgotten that dwarves were much stronger than humans. She had flinched away out of sheer _instinct_, out of fear that he would hurt her again-intentionally or otherwise.

But, as her eyes beheld the deep hurt in his gaze, and heard his whispered apology- his voice had sounded so vulnerable- she realized that it was truly an accident.

She slowly reached her broken hand out to him. The young dwarf jumped slightly as it entered his vision, having been unable to look at her in shame after apologizing. He looked at her hand in surprise, then back at her, questioning and hesitancy in his gaze.

Her hand was shaking, whether from fear or pain, or both, she could not tell. He slowly reached his own shaking hand out to hers, before hesitating, then dropping it back down with a shake of his head.

"No," he whispered, sadness in his tone as he averted his eyes. "Y-you don't trust me, a-and I…..I don't want to hurt you again." She looked down at her hand, swallowing heavily as she saw the misaligned bones underneath the skin.

"I-I can't set it myself," she whispered, looking at him imploringly. "P-please?" The young dwarf slowly raised his eyes to meet hers, fear in his gaze.

She held her hand out closer to him, but he didn't make to take it.

"W-what if I hurt you?" he whispered, and she shut her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath, before looking him in the eye.

"It was an accident," she whispered, speaking the words carefully. "It's all right. You're my friend, and I trust you."

Dark eyes searched her face hesitantly, before landing on her hand, and the young dwarf took a shaky breath.

"A-all right," he whispered. He looked over his shoulder, peering through the water into the wood, before turning back towards her. He held up his knife, eyeing the hilt, before reaching it toward her.

"Bite this," he instructed, and she looked at him in confusion.

"But it-it's sharp," she stuttered, and he shook his head.

"Not the blade. Bite the _hilt_," he clarified, bringing it up to her face. She looked at the knife, before biting down on it.

"Be careful," he said gently, positioning the knife so the edge was away from her cheek. "It's double bladed." She nodded slightly, careful to not cause the knife to slip.

Kili gently took her broken hand, causing her to suck in a sharp breath as pain radiated up her arm. He grasped it with both hands, positioning his thumbs on top of the broken bones and his fingers underneath.

"Ready?" he asked, gaze locking with hers. She took a deep breath, nodding. He took as deep a breath as his broken ribs would allow, his gaze not leaving hers.

"On the count of three," he said softly, and she nodded. "One, two…"

Not willing to give her the chance to tense up, and cause his hands to slip, he pulled one hand up as he pushed the other down, aligning the bones with a sharp crack as she let out a muffled scream, tears streaming down her face.

"Three," he finished quietly, glancing down at her hand, then back up at her worriedly. He reached up, taking the knife out of her mouth and sheathing it, before moving her hand toward her abdomen.

"Don't move it," he instructed. "We need to find a way to splint it after we get out of here." She nodded, holding her trembling hand as still as she could.

She locked eyes with him then, her gaze saying what her clenched mouth could not. Kili felt the tugging sensation in his chest again as he stared into her blue eyes, wondering why he suddenly had a bit of trouble breathing. It didn't take him long to understand what she was trying to say through the pain.

"You're welcome," he said softly.


End file.
